Shattered Glass
by Fantastical Chaos
Summary: Ours is not the only world. On the other side of the mirror is another so much like our own but yet so different. They are two sides to the same coin: one cannot exist without the other, but interaction between both worlds is strictly forbidden. When Rin falls through the mirror, there is more to worry about than if she will ever go back to her world again.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Hello, fellow Vocaloid fans!**

 **This is a fanfic I have been working on and off for over a year now. So weird how it's taken me this long to post it! Hopefully the quality is worth the wait. I worked super hard on this and really hope that you guys love reading it half as much as I love writing it. And the Kagamine Twins' tenth anniversary passed recently, so what better way to celebrate than to post a story all about them?**

 **Happy reading!**

 **\- Fantastical**

 **Disclaimer: I in no way, shape, or form own Vocaloid. Each character used belongs to the respective company that produced him/her; I merely borrowed them for non-profit entertainment purposes. However, I do claim ownership to the cover art and words below. Please enjoy.**

* * *

The image looking back mirrored her own. The same cerulean orbs, the same blonde hair that brushed the chin, and the same creamy, pale skin. Everything she had that made up her appearance, so did her reflection. Simultaneously, both Rin and her mirror counterpart pulled the corners of their lips downwards into a deep scowl.

"Careful, or your face might freeze like that," said a tiny greenette as she leaned over the sink and adjusted her dangling earrings.

A pang of jealousy shot through Rin. Her parents forbade her from piercing her ears until she was sixteen, and she was currently seven months shy of fifteen. "I say we ditch this dessert cart, Gumi. This place blows."

"I think it's nice." Gumi stood straight again. "It was awfully kind of your parents to invite me to come tonight. I've never been to a banquet before, let alone stepped inside such a gorgeous, expensive hotel!"

Rin's scowl deepened. While her best friend admired the decor, Rin wanted to demolish the place. Even the restroom – complete with mahogany stall doors, marble floors, and cloth towels for drying hands instead of paper towels – was too fine. Everything fashionably displayed grace and etiquette, and it was this fineness that made Rin believe there was nothing for her at these events save boredom.

"Beyond me why my parents drag me along every year," Rin spat. "I don't even work for this stupid company! You know what? Forget this. I'm out."

"What?" Gumi followed Rin with her eyes as the temperate blonde stomped towards the restroom exit. "Rin, wait for me!"

Slowing only long enough for her best friend to catch up, Rin said, "I'm leaving this joint. I'm bored, there are tons of other things I'd rather be doing, and I already ate so there's no point in staying any longer. Now is the best time to go home and spend the rest of the night doing whatever I please."

"You'll get in trouble if you just disappear," Gumi warned. "You're going to at least tell your parents you plan to leave, right?"

"I can EM them after I'm a good block or two away," Rin replied with a shrug. "What are they going to do? Ground me for all of summer break?"

"Don't jinx yourself," Gumi whispered.

"Trust me," Rin ran her palms down her baby blue dress, "nothing is going to happen. This is going to be a summer just like any other. Mom and Dad would never do anything extreme."

She continued to march through the hotel, and Gumi, who had to lift the thick skirt of her rose-pink gown so that she could walk quickly, struggled to keep up. Everything about the night irritated Rin. She twisted the ring on her right middle finger so fast that the skin in under the band began to get irritated. All she wanted to do was go home and listen to her music in peace. It was impossible for her to get away with enjoying music in public.

"Uh, Rin," Gumi began as her eyes scanned the empty lobby, "where are we?"

"Oops." Rin, too, took in her surroundings. There were black leather seats and glass tables, and a set of stairs started near the lounge and wrapped upwards along the building, but the absence of an exit was obvious. "I must have made a wrong turn. This looks like the back lobby." Spinning around, Rin said, "It's okay, all we have to do is-"

"I'm sorry, are you two lost?"

Both Rin and Gumi looked up to see a girl about their age descending the stairs. She had red hair and blue eyes, and a gold dress hugged her frame. The girl stopped at ground level but attempted no further approach towards the two. "I . . . I can help you find your way, if you want me to."

"Thank you, but that won't be-" Gumi began, but Rin cut her off.

"I know where I'm going, thank you very much," she snapped, fingers curled into fists. "Now mind your own business and leave us alone. Don't you have better things to do than bother us?"

"I-I'm sorry." The girl took a step back. "I was only trying to help."

"Well, stop helping," Rin growled. Her heart pounded in her ears, and she gritted her teeth. Anyone who stood in Rin's way of her goal was not someone the blonde considered a friend. "We have better things to do with our time than to entertain some spotty fox who needs that much makeup to make her look good. Geez, you must be hideous without all that junk if you must cake it on so thick. You must lose ten pounds every time you wash your face."

The girl opened her mouth as if to speak, but instead of words, a sob passed through her lips. Embarrassed, the girl covered her face and ran back up the stairs. Rin simply stared at the retreating figure until it was gone. Gumi, on the other hand, stood with her mouth hanging open and her face paling by the second. The greenette wobbled slightly, grateful to have worn flats instead of heels.

With the redhead no longer in sight, Rin merely spun around and said, "Okay, now to find the exit."

Gumi gaped at Rin as if the greenette couldn't believe what she had seen. She followed Rin and demanded, "What the blaze is wrong with you?"

"That girl was in our way, so I said what I could to get her to leave us alone," Rin responded.

"What happened to you?" Gumi softly asked, as if intending for the question to not be heard.

Yet Rin did hear. She stopped in place and answered Gumi by questioning, "What do you mean what happened to me?"

"It's just . . ." Gumi looked around the room in a desperate search to find an excuse to not explain. Finding none, she continued, "You were so kind and sweet when we were kids. That Rin, the one that became my best friend, would never be so mean to anyone no matter who that person was. What happened to her? Why is there a bitter, selfish girl in her place?"

Glaring at Gumi through the corner of her eye, all Rin replied with was, "She grew up. Now I'm leaving. Come with me or don't, I couldn't care less. Just don't ask any more stupid questions."

With nothing else to say, Rin strut forward in pursuit of the exit. However, she did not make it far before she was interrupted again.

"There you are!" exclaimed a relieved female's voice. A woman who could have been Rin thirty years into the future hurried forward as if she was keeping herself from running in heels.

"Mother?" Rin questioned the same time Gumi gasped, "Mrs. Kagamine!"

"Your father and I have been looking all over for you, Rin," Mrs. Kagamine stated as she marched towards Rin and wrapped her fingers around Rin's rail thin wrist. Tugging her daughter forward, the woman looked at Gumi and said, "You come as well. It would be wrong of us to exclude you when you are practically family."

"Yes, ma'am." Gumi had to keep a light jog to keep up with the mother-daughter duo.

Mrs. Kagamine, wasting no time, lead the girls back into the ballroom and all but pushed Rin towards the table in which her family was seated. "I found them," she stated to her husband, who was in the middle of checking his tab screen.

"About time," Mr. Kagamine said as he put the object into his coat pocket. "What took you so long, young lady? I was three finger strokes away from activating the tracking device in your communicator."

"I thought I was allowed to explore," Rin argued.

"Yes, but only if you don't go far," Mr. Kagamine replied. "Now we can get Oliver and- Where's Oliver?!"

"No need for alarm, dear," Mrs. Kagamine soothed. "Oliver is with the Hiyama family. He wanted to play with their daughter, Yuki. Remember?"

"Right, right." Mr. Kagamine waved his hands as if to wipe the words away before shouting to a table three rows over, an act that earned him a glare from his wife, "Oliver, come here now!"

"Yes, Daddy!" responded a ten-year-old with shaggy blond hair and bright amber eyes. The boy ran towards his family before recalling his parents' strict warning against running at the banquet, prompting him to walk the rest of the way.

Now that both of his children were present, Mr. Kagamine took Oliver by the hand and told Rin and Gumi, "We are going to walk over to my boss's table and introduce ourselves. Since he isn't a stickler like the man who was in the same position before him, I want to make an excellent impression with him and his family. Children, be on your best behavior. That especially applies to you, Rin."

"What?" Rin snorted. "Are you implying I'm worse than that little brat I'm forced to call my brother?"

"Rin Linelle Kagamine," Mrs. Kagamine said, letting the name itself be the warning.

"Okay, I'll behave," Rin crossed her arms, "but I won't like it."

"Just don't act up and I'll be satisfied," Mr. Kagamine replied as he, his wife, and kids, Gumi included, approached his boss and his boss's family. When the high table came in sight, Mr. Kagamine began, "Mr. Opera?"

"Ah, yes," replied the man with the black hair and finely trimmed beard. He, like the rest of the men at the banquet, was dressed in a suit and tie. However, what set this man apart was that he made the attire look casual. It was as if the man was so relaxed that everything around him lightened up too. "If it isn't Al Kagamine. I've been bragging to my wife about you."

"It's true," added a woman with tightly curled brown hair. Standing upright, she extended a hand to Mrs. Kagamine and introduced herself. "I'm Prima, Tonio's wife."

"Ann, Al's wife." Mrs. Kagamine took the hand. "These are our children, Rin and Oliver. The other girl is Gumi, Rin's best friend. I hope it's okay that we extended the invitation to her as well; Gumi is almost like another daughter to Al and me."

"It's all right," Mr. Opera said. To Rin and Gumi, "I have a daughter your age. She's around here somewhere."

"Probably hiding," Mrs. Opera added. "Our poor Daina is incredibly shy. She wants so badly to make friends, but she's too sensitive to what people think of her to put in any considerable effort. Oh, Tonio, there she is now, and – oh, my – she looks so upset!"

"Oh, boy," Rin heard Gumi say before she could understand why. It was when her eyes landed on a sobbing redhead did Rin fully comprehend the amount of trouble she was about to get into.

"Sweetheart, what's wrong?" Mrs. Opera asked as she flew to her sobbing daughter's side.

"I wa-was trying-ing to ask thi-this girl if she-she needed he-help finding her way-ay," Diana tried to answer through her uncontrollable hiccups, "and she ca-called me a-" Noticing Rin, Daina stopped talking and hid behind her mother.

Both families noticed what quieted Daina and looked at Rin. Daina's parents looked shocked with disbelief while Rin's parents looked as if they were about to die of embarrassment on the spot. All Rin did was smile without remorse, lift a hand, and state, "Guilty."

* * *

"You called Daina a what?!" Mrs. Kagamine barked the second Gumi had exited the vehicle and walked into her own home.

"A spotty fox," Rin replied as she looked out the window in time for the self-driving hover cab to shoot off like a fired bullet.

Mrs. Kagamine paled. "Please tell me you didn't actually call her that. Rin, that girl's father can fire your dad over this!"

"I am fully capable of speaking for myself, Ann," Mr. Kagamine said.

"Quiet, dear. I can handle this," Mrs. Kagamine replied. To Rin, "What exactly were you thinking, young lady?"

"I was thinking the girl is a spotty fox."

"What's a spotty fox?" Oliver asked. Mrs. Kagamine shushed her son.

"An ugly, inbred prostitute," Rin answered, causing her mother to snap at Rin to be quiet.

"Rin, why did you think that was an appropriate thing to say? You really hurt that poor girl's feelings," Mr. Kagamine demanded as calmly as he could while Oliver asked, "What's a prostitute?"

"And answer your father, Rin," Mrs. Kagamine interjected before turning to Oliver. "Please be quiet, honey. We need to have a serious talk with your sister."

"I wanted to leave the banquet, and this girl with ten pounds of makeup was standing in my way," Rin replied. "Father, you taught me that if I wanted something, I had to fight for it, didn't you?"

"Not at the expense of others," Mr. Kagamine said. "Rin, your behavior is getting out of hand."

"Is not," Rin argued.

"You got suspended from school for throwing a boy's tab screen out the window."

"All he had on it was books. It's the twentieth century. Seriously, who reads?"

"Do you also need a reminder that you also almost got expelled for beating up another classmate?"

"She insulted my shoes. Stupid runt had it coming."

"This is it," Mrs. Kagamine said. "Rin, you need to stop it with this attitude right now."

"Or what?" Rin rolled her eyes. "Are you going to ground me and make me spend all day outside doing yard work?"

"Yard work is for hobo knockers," Oliver said, resulting in both of his parents widening their eyes in shock.

"I didn't teach him that," Rin instantly claimed even though she knew by her mother's reddening face and flaring nostrils that the damage was already done.

"Sweetheart, your blood pressure," Mr. Kagamine reminded his wife as he put a hand on her shoulder.

Using a moment to take deep, slow breaths, Mrs. Kagamine looked her daughter squarely in the eyes and said, "My mind is made up. Maybe yard work will do you good. As soon as we get home, start packing your bags. You and Oliver are going to be spending the summer with your Grandpa Rinto."

* * *

"No joke, Gumi, my mom is on the phone with my grandfather right now," Rin said as she lied on her bed, all four limbs stretched out, communicator set firmly in her ear. Her eyes wandered around the room, bare save for lavender walls, a desk with a slim screen, and a floating shelf with old textbooks.

"Your family has a phone?" Gumi asked from the other end. "I thought those died out decades ago after means of communication went mobile."

"Grandpa Rinto is not very good at staying up to date." Rin blew the fringe out of her eyes. "I swear, Gumi, I don't know how I'm going to survive if this summer thing pulls through. He lives in the middle of nowhere! I doubt I'll have enough access to the NatAct to even send an Eletter."

"What, it's not official yet?"

"Mom has to make sure he's not currently busy with anything."

"Then what are you doing not proving to your parents that you don't need to spend time in the country?" Gumi began. "My step mom once threatened to send me to military school but changed her mind when I started helping out around the house without being asked."

Rin's eyes widened. "That's a great idea! I don't know why I didn't think of it. Gotta go, Gumi. I'll message you later." With that, Rin tapped the off button to her communicator and shifted upright. Jumping off her pink leopard comforter, Rin left her room, took the stairs down two at a time, and entered the bleach white kitchen.

Her dad was pulling chicken out of the glass oven, Oliver was playing one of his handheld games, and her mom was talking on the phone, an item that had to be held to one's face instead of resting in the owner's ear. Mrs. Kagamine – leaning against the kitchen counter, hand placed behind her while the other struggled to keep the phone by her ear – appeared exhausted, as if talking to her father wore her out as much as having a conversation with her own dad left Rin without energy.

"Yes, poor girl," Mrs. Kagamine was saying. "So fortunate of her to have her aunt and uncle take her in. Look, the reason I called is- Okay, okay. I'll let you finish, but Dad, Al is almost done with dinner. . . . All right, I'm listening."

A chuckle built up in Rin before she choked it back. Taking enjoyment in her mother's frustration would not be deemed good behavior. "Hey, Dad," Rin tried, "need help with anything?"

"No thanks, Rin," Mr. Kagamine replied as he distributed the rice amongst four people.

"Not even setting the table?"

"Oliver beat you to it."

Rin turned to see, true to her father's words, that Oliver had already executed the simple chore. She began to twist her ring but stopped when she realized what she was doing. "Are you sure there's nothing I can do? Perhaps I can season the rice? Or maybe get the cheddar sauce for the broccoli?"

"What's gotten into you all of a sudden?" Mr. Kagamine asked, casting his daughter a suspicious glance. "You normally complain when your mother or I ask you to hang your jacket on the coat rack. Did your final report card come in and you're softening us up before we see it?"

"No, no," Rin answered as she forced a smile and waved her hand. "Mom already took care that the school sent my grades to her personal inbox as well as the family's. All I wanted to do was help out." As if an afterthought, Rin added, "To show how sorry I am for almost costing you your job."

"Ah, now I see why my Rin isn't being herself." Mr. Kagamine shook his head. He picked up the rice seasoning and began dashing appropriate amounts on each person's portion. "If your grandfather says yes, you and Oliver are spending the summer with him. Nothing you can say or do will change your mother's and my minds."

"But it's too cruel a punishment!" Rin whined, throwing her clenched fists down as she stomped her heel on the ground. "I'll do anything. Anything! I'll quit singing, I'll help around the house, I'll be nice to everyone – just don't send me away!"

"Don't shout while your mother is on the phone," Mr. Kagamine warned. "Second, I don't understand why you don't want to visit your grandfather. He's been lonely since your grandmother died, and he would really like to see you and Oliver. Rin, you do know that you were named after him, right?"

"Because he was a hero in the Great War." Rin rolled her eyes. She sat on the stool on the other side of the counter and only half paid attention to how her father arranged the food on the plates.

"That, and your mother was really close to him when she was growing up. She feels guilty for not keeping contact with her father like she should have."

"So she's easing her conscience by sending Oliver and me instead of going herself?" Rin raised an eyebrow.

"We will be staying with all of you the last week before we plan to bring you home," Mr. Kagamine said. He set the rice seasoning down and began to drizzle the cheddar sauce over the broccoli. "However, this is about you, Rin. I'm afraid your mother and I have been giving you too easy a life: you haven't ever worked for anything because we have always given it to you. We're raising an entitled woman, and that's the last thing we want you to become."

"So I'm being punished for your parenting skills?" Rin growled. "Okay, now I'm the victim here. I demand-"

Mr. Kagamine held up his hand, stopping Rin. "There it is. Right there. You're demanding. Worse yet, you aren't accepting us as your authority figures. What we say goes, and you are powerless to change our mind."

Groaning, Rin slid off the stool. "I can't believe you hate me so much that you're trying to get rid of me. I said I was sorry."

"No, you're not," Mr. Kagamine calmly replied.

Before Rin could say anything else, Mrs. Kagamine set the phone down and stared at her daughter. Dread trickled through Rin as she realized that, as she focused so much of her attention on her talk with her dad, she stopped listening on her mother's side of the conversation with her own father. "Three days," was all Mrs. Kagamine told Rin before turning to her husband and saying, "I need to wash up. Give me five minutes, and we can start dinner."

"Does this mean that we're going to Grandpa Rinto's after all?" Oliver asked, looking up from his handheld game.

"Unfortunately," Rin answered. She mumbled to her dad that she wasn't hungry, left the kitchen, and locked herself in her room for the rest of the night.


	2. Chapter 2

"Don't be such a baby," Rin ordered the sniveling Oliver as the two prepared to be chipped.

Their mother typed into her tablet the answers to the list of questions the chip needed to know about her children, and the device sent the information to the small, disk-like chip. Although both parents were confident in the safety of their children over the summer, the medical information within the chips would give nurses and doctors what they needed to know in the case Rin or Oliver couldn't tell these things themselves.

The past three days were miserable for Rin: everything she packed was monitored by her mother, who told Rin that she was allowed to bring only one electronic item of her choice. Rin waited till the last possible minute to pick her free device out, knowing that Mrs. Kagamine would be too occupied with the chipping process to ask Rin what she intended to bring for her entertainment. So far, it looked as if Rin's prediction was right.

At Oliver's failure to stop sniffling and whimpering, Rin grit her teeth and said, "Okay. Fine. I'll go first and show you that it doesn't hurt at all." That was a lie. Being chipped stung for a second, and the next twelve hours kept an itchy soreness in the muscle.

"Okay, Rin, then I'll do you now," Mrs. Kagamine said as she pulled the medical chip out of the file processor. Rin approached as Mrs. Kagamine placed the chip in the large syringe that would pierce Rin's wrist and lodge the chip firmly inside. "Your arm, dear."

Rin scowled at the name "dear" but said nothing. She simply stretched out her left arm and let the chipping process come to its end. After the shot was completed, Mrs. Kagamine held Rin's wrist under the scanner to check how well the chip worked.

 **Name: Rin Linelle Kagamine**

 **Date of Birth: December 27, 1980**

 **Height: 5 ft. 0 in.**

 **Weight: 95 lb.**

 **Languages: English (expert), Spanish (intermediate), Japanese (expert)**

 **Health Conditions: None**

 **Allergies: Nuts (severe), Artificial Sweeteners (mild), Nickel (mild)**

"You're good," Mrs. Kagamine said, releasing Rin's arm. "And don't scratch it."

"I'm not," Rin replied, but her fingernails still grazed the needle bite mark whenever her mother wasn't looking.

"You have your ring in case of you come into contact with nuts, right?"

"Never leave home without it."

"Excellent."

Oliver yipped when the chip was shot into his arm but did his best to not cry. To keep her son from messing with the now red area, Mrs. Kagamine wrapped his wrist tightly. The gauze wouldn't stop the itching, but it would ultimately lessen irritation due to scratching. With both children packed and chipped, Mrs. Kagamine tapped her communicator with her index finger and asked the device to call her husband.

"You have the hover taxi set?" she asked. "You put the correct address in, right? No typos? No backwards numbers?"

While their parents worked out the final phase of the arrangement, Rin ordered her brother to stop crying as she quickly typed a message out for Gumi.

 _I'm as good as gone now. Talk to you again in August._

A minute had yet to pass when the watch Rin wore vibrated.

 _Bye-bye, Rin. I'm really going to miss you._

Sighing, Rin removed the watch and set it on the table before her mom could ask about it. Of the free items Rin could choose, neither her watch nor her communicator were accessible.

"I think you should try to make friends with the neighbor girls your grandfather talks about." It was Mr. Kagamine who made the suggestion. "I know you and Gumi are best friends, but you need to make new ones, and you can't do that if you spend all your time messaging on your watch or talking on your communicator."

With everything now set, Mrs. Kagamine lead the children as they carried their suitcases out of the condo and down the lift. The three of them walked out of the building and made their way to the pick-up lot to meet Mr. Kagamine. It wasn't until she saw the hover taxi, the bags packed in the trunk, and her brother's arms around their parents in a goodbye hug did the whole ordeal fully process inside of Rin's head.

"I can't believe you're sending us away," she said through gritted teeth.

"This will be good for you, Rin," her mother claimed, but Rin didn't want to hear it.

"You're shipping my little brother and me across the country with no technology, no watches or communicators, and no words of comfort except 'this will be good for you.' Well you know what? I hate you! You never do anything for me. It's always 'not now, Rin,' 'later, Rin,' or 'I'm busy, Rin.' And now you're getting rid of both me and Oliver for the whole summer. Let me guess, you're too busy to deal with us for the next three months since school can't do it for you. That's fine. Perfect, really. I don't want to put up with you either. Actually, I hope I never, ever have to see you again. Nothing would make me happier."

Before either parent could react, Rin pushed Oliver inside the hover taxi, slipped in herself, and slammed the door shut. "Rin Linelle Kagami-" Mrs. Kagamine began, but Rin pushed the button the start the hover taxi, causing it to shoot off like a rocket and leave her parents in its dust.

Oliver sat silent for a moment, pondering Rin's actions more than Rin herself. Looking at his older sister, Oliver told her, "I think you made Mommy and Daddy sad."

"They'll get over it," Rin replied, arms crossed and eyes trained at the window. As the hover taxi traveled, the landscape passed by in blurs that barely contained an array of colors. Rin could have turned on the windows to display prerecorded scenery – such as beaches or meadows, but she wasn't in the mood to make the trip somewhat relaxing.

"You're not a nice person," Oliver stated.

Instead of replying, Rin produced earpieces from her pockets, placed them into her ears, and pulled her nano player from her boot. Oliver gave his sister a wide-eyed stare but said nothing. With very few options to pass the time, Rin chose to turn on the slim device and spend the ride listening to the music nobody ever understood her liking.

* * *

Six hours had passed when the alert went off to inform the passengers that they were fifteen minutes from their destination.

"Fina-friken-ly," Rin mumbled, taking out her ear buds and turning off the nearly dead player. Oliver had long since fallen asleep and leaned against Rin to keep from falling over, and Rin allowed it till now. She gently shook her arm as she whispered, "Oliver, wake up."

"Huh?" The blond boy blinked. He looked around, lost and confused until he remembered where they were and why. "Are we there yet?"

"We're fifteen minutes away."

"You couldn't have let me sleep until the five-minute mark?"

"You've been napping for almost three hours. The last thing you need is another ten minutes."

Rin spent the rest of the ride staring out the window despite there being nothing to see. All that was out there were mushing colors and the sound of the taxi hovering above the ground.

"'Over two hundred miles an hour, and you can hardly feel a thing,'" Rin mumbled the old commercial line when the hover taxi first became a public thing eight years prior. Before the hover taxis, vehicles drove on the ground, and the ones before that required a manual driver instead of an automatic. There was a time when their world was advancing rather slowly, but ever since the Great War, there had been a technological boom.

"We're slowing down," Oliver announced when he noticed that even though Rin was looking out the window, she saw nothing.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I see." Rin took a deep breath. "Prepare yourself to meet Grandpa Rinto."

"What's he like?" Oliver asked. "Mommy said that I was a baby the last time I saw him, so I don't remember."

"And I do?" Rin answered with a snort. "I was only five. He's lucky I remember that we even have a Grandpa Rinto." Oliver didn't reply, choosing instead to watch as the landscape became more distinct.

A vivid, dark green and the clear blue gradually became less of a mix of colors and more of grass, trees, bushes, and sky. The last light of day filtered through the branches and created shadows that stretched across the ground. It wasn't long before the hover taxi started to travel over a dirt road, and shortly after a small, wooden home came into view.

The building reminded Rin of a doll house with its symmetric structure, laced curtains, and evenly shaped rose bushes. A faded blue colored the house, in need of a fresh coat. Rin dreaded that repainting the house was going to be one of many summer chores.

The hover taxi slowed before finally coming to a halt. Begrudgingly, Rin hopped out of the vehicle and opened the trunk to retrieve her luggage.

"Can you get my bags, too, Rin?" Oliver requested as he slid out, underestimating how high off the ground he was and falling tailbone first into the dust.

Chuckling, Rin did as she was asked. With both sets of luggage removed and nothing of the Kagamine children left behind, Rin pushed the _End of Use_ button to signal the hover taxi that its services were no longer required. As it sped away, Rin took a deep breath and picked up her bags. "He hasn't come out to meet us," she said, half to Oliver and half to herself. "Maybe he died while we were on the way here."

"Rin! Oliver!" a voice called from behind.

"I can't win for losing," Rin grumbled under her breath before spinning around and facing her mother's father.

Grandpa Rinto's blue-gray eyes were the first thing Rin noticed about him. Next was the crow's feet and mass of wrinkles around his mouth that gave away decades of smiles and laughter. His once blond hair was almost covered in the gray of old age, but many streaks refused to give up the youthful color.

"You two have grown so much," Grandpa Rinto said as he enveloped both of his grandchildren in a hug. Rin tensed at the contact, and she could feel Oliver stiffen as if he was made out of cardboard. If Grandpa Rinto noticed, he didn't let on. He merely hugged the children for a moment longer before breaking the contact and taking in their faces.

"It amazes me how much the both of you look like your mother," he began to say. "Though you do have your father's amber eyes, Oliver. Why, you were only a small baby the last time I saw ya. And Rin, blessed is me! You have become quite a beautiful young lady in these past nine years. Ah, how I wish we didn't spend so much time apart. Unfortunately, your mother isn't fond of visiting Toronienya, and Cyklolis is too advanced for an old man like me. I declare, I wasn't expecting y'all to arrive in a flying car, but that's exactly what happened! And you came quicker than expected, too. Why, I haven't even finished making dinner yet! I hope neither of ya are hungry; soup won't be done for another hour or so. Well, what're y'all standing 'round for? Come inside and make yourselves at home. Just don't kill each other for the best room, ya hear?"

Watching his grandfather as the old man retreated back into the house, Oliver looked at Rin and said, "I don't know how long I can last with Grandpa Rinto keeping a steady conversation for the three of us."

"As long as I don't have to endure human interaction, I'll be fine," Rin replied as she hauled her suitcases indoors.

Rickety old stairs were the first thing the children saw upon entering the home. Immediately to the right of the home was a wall with a single door keeping the two rooms apart, and on the left was an open way to the parlor. Light poured from a bowl on the roof instead of emitting all over from the walls, allowing more shadows around them then what Rin and Oliver were used to seeing. Most disturbing yet was the sheer number of mirrors decorating the walls. Rin couldn't look anywhere inside the house without seeing her reflection in the corner of her eye.

To take her mind off the strangeness of Grandpa Rinto's home, Rin searched for something a normal grandparent would keep on display for all to see. The foyer was surrounded by old walls with still pictures of the kid's mother while she was growing up and their grandmother in her youth. There were even moving pictures of Rin and Oliver that Rin knew her mother digitally mailed Grandpa Rinto. Gazing at the photos, Rin's eyes stopped on one she couldn't recall seeing before.

Trapped inside the frame was an old, muted photo of a boy and a girl. The boy had shaggy light hair that he was pulling out of his eyes, and the girl had her own long hair pulled back into a high ponytail. She had her arm draped around her companion, and he leaned against her with his head touching hers – it was almost as if the two wanted to be as close to each other as possible when the picture was taken. Both of them were grinning at the camera in a way that suggested they knew the biggest secret in the universe but had no intentions to share it. Of all the things Rin observed, however, what she couldn't look away from was how alike the boy and girl appeared.

"Pick out any room y'all want!" Grandpa Rinto called from the right side of the home in what Rin assumed was the kitchen, causing the girl to flinch.

With one final look directed at the photo, Rin traveled up the creaky stairs, Oliver trailing right behind.

* * *

Frowning, Rin studied the meal before her. Grandpa Rinto claimed that he made lamb and okra stew, but the mush in her bowl appeared more like old fertilizer with moldy vegetables thrown in. At the stinging smell of the food, Rin wrinkled her nose and contemplated starving. She looked across the table to see her brother enjoying his meal and decided to wait ten minutes to see if her brother would get sick from the so-called soup before trying it herself.

Oliver had at this point gotten past his shyness around their grandfather and voiced questions whenever there wasn't food in his mouth. Containing the curiosity only a child could, Oliver asked about the old electronics Grandpa Rinto had or about why he lived so far out where he couldn't talk to anyone save through the phone. Rin all the while played with her food, only half paying attention until the subject took an unnatural turn.

"Why do you have so many mirrors in your house?" Oliver asked as he looked at his reflection across the table. "Do you like looking at yourself a lot?"

Grandpa Rinto chuckled and answered, "No, my boy. I keep all these mirrors around as a reminder of the Mirror World."

"The Mirror World?" Oliver furrowed his brows, and Rin feigned disinterest despite her newfound focus on her brother and grandfather's conversation.

"Yes, the Mirror World." Grandpa Rinto indicated the mirror that hung behind Rin. "There's another world that parallels our own, and the only link between it and ours are mirrors."

"So, like an alternate universe?" Oliver questioned.

Humming, Grandpa Rinto answered, "Yes and no. Ya see, our universe is like a coin: one side can't exist without the other. There needs to be a balance between art and science and math and music. Our mirror selves make up for what we lack so that neither world submerges into chaos and destruction."

"Cool," Oliver whispered in awed wonder, but Rin rolled her eyes.

"Right," she said, dragging out the word. "As if there really is a parallel world inside the mirror. I'm looking at the mirror version of me right now, and she's doing the exact same thing I'm doing: pointing out how stupid this whole thing is."

"Rin, Rin, Rin." Grandpa Rinto tsked. "There is a difference between one's reflection and one's mirror self."

"Yeah, too bad I don't want to hear it." Rin stood upright and said, "I'm not hungry."

"But not tired 'nough for bed, huh?" Grandpa Rinto smiled at his granddaughter. "Feel free to explore as much as y'all like, but don't leave the house after nightfall. Waking time is six o'clock sharp, so I trust y'all will go to bed accordingly."

"Fine," Rin replied though she was barely listening. She placed her ear buds in her ears – Rin took advantage of the last hour by setting her nano player by a window so that it could use sunlight to charge – and played the last song she had on. Pretending that the song was background music, Rin walked up the stairs and looked over the second floor.

Other than the never-ending sight of mirrors, there was nothing up the stairs save for a hallway that led to three bedrooms and a single bathroom, all hidden behind closed white doors. Not even a small table or an old cabinet sat in the dusty corners to serve as decoration. Light streamed in from the windows and bounced off the mirrors, making evident the dust on the wooden floors and the holes in the gray walls. Only the ceiling captured Rin's interest, for a few feet away from the lights was a string.

"What are you doing?" Oliver asked through Rin's music as he came into view at the top of the stairs.

"This house is tall enough for another floor," Rin answered as she turned off her nano player and glued her eyes to the rope that promised the pathway to another world. "There's bound to be an attic up there, and I want to check it out."

"Won't Grandpa Rinto be mad?"

"He said we could explore, and if he didn't want us in the attic, he would have said so."

Giving into temptation, Rin reached out and wrapped her fingers around the end. She tugged on the string, and the door on the ceiling opened as a new set of stairs descended just as Rin knew they would. With the passage now opened, Rin began to climb the steps to the dark attic. She stopped to look at her brother. "You coming?"

"No way." Oliver shook his head. "It looks creepy up there."

"Suit yourself," Rin replied with a shrug before going up the rest of the way.

Once at the top, Rin felt around for a light switch. The attic lit up as the fluorescents came on, and Rin's hungry eyes took in every sight to be seen. The tech Grandpa Rinto had hidden away was ancient. CD players, cellular phones, and computers big enough to sit on one's lap sat scattered around the room. Rin's fingers feathered an old watch model she remembered from technology class as being capable of nothing more than counting steps, receiving texts, and playing movies.

"And tell time," Rin whispered to herself. Her attention shifted to a broken visor and then to an old gaming counsel.

The more she observed, the more unusual items she found. Water color paint, a violin, and what Rin assumed was a typewriter were a few of many rare items to be discovered. It was to Rin's surprise to find a shelf filled with books, and it stunned Rin upon inspection that the volumes were works of fiction. She flipped through the pages, engrossed in the secrets they hid. Caught between the pages of some books were sketches of faces, animals, and landscapes.

"Art," Rin couldn't help but say. "But . . . art isn't valuable. Why would Grandpa Rinto keep so many useless items in the attic?"

As if a whisper had called her name, Rin spun around and gasped at the sight of a grand mirror. Setting the book she held down, Rin slowly approached the large wall of glass framed in spiraling silver and gold. It was dusty, but still Rin felt an overwhelming urge to touch the item. She wanted to know if the glass would be warm or cool to the touch. The blonde had to know if the glass was as flawlessly smooth as it looked.

Rin pressed the palm of her hand against the glass. For reasons she could not explain, her breathing slowed while her heart rate dramatically increased. The texture the mirror gave off was a warmth Rin did not know glass was capable of producing: an almost flesh against flesh feeling. Gradually Rin's eyes trailed away from her hand and its reflection in favor of seeing her face.

Her eyes looked back at her, but they were not her eyes. Her face met hers, but it was a face she had never seen before. Her lips formed as if to scream, but Rin knew that her own mouth did not move. She could not rip her cerulean orbs away from the image that looked so much like her but wasn't her.

The boy in the mirror gave Rin the same wide-eyed stare she knew she was giving him. His blond hair was tied back away from his face, and his cerulean eyes looked unbelieving at what they saw. Then he quickly looked behind him, an action Rin herself did not perform.

At her mind's registration of the sight, Rin pulled her hand away from the glass, yelped in surprise, and, in her attempt to get away, tripped over her own ankles and fell to the floor. When she turned her head back around, the mirror displayed nothing but Rin on the ground as she looked terrified of the glass. Ever so slowly, Rin crawled towards the mirror and again pressed her palm against it. Nothing to see save her own, normal reflection.

"I've been traveling all day," Rin immediately blamed. "My mind is exhausted, and now my imagination is using Grandpa Rinto's stupid story to play tricks on me. That's it, time for bed."

The event discarded from her thoughts, Rin left the attic, closed the trapdoor, and denied it when Oliver claimed he heard her scream.


	3. Chapter 3

"It's only been three days," Rin mumbled as she tossed pebbles upwards and hit them midair with an old baseball bat. "I can't do it. Three days is torture already. How am I supposed to survive another three months?"

Despite rolling her dark blue capris high above her knees, the ends of the jeans were still covered in thick layers of dirt and dust. To make the situation of the summer day worse, even Rin's tying her hair back and wearing a short white shirt that openly exposed her midsection did nothing to ease the intensity of the burning sun. Her bare toes dug into the hot dirt beneath, and the sun's rays scorched her pale face. The miserable girl did nothing to hide her displeasure.

While Rin was hitting the rocks across the yard, Grandpa Rinto and Oliver sat on the porch, glasses of ice cold lemonade between them, as Grandpa Rinto told his grandson more about the Mirror World the child was so eager to learn all about. Oliver sat wide-eyed as he absorbed every one of Rinto's words just as a dry sponge absorbs water. The boy soaked in every word and didn't hesitate to interrupt his grandfather whenever he had a question that demanded an answer.

"If there really is another world on the other side of the mirror, then how come we don't go there?" Oliver asked.

It was with a twinkle in his eye that Grandpa Rinto answered, "It's not safe fer someone from this world to go to the Mirror World, and the same's true the other way 'round. If a person could come and go between worlds as he pleases, it would create a disorder for the both of us."

Oliver thought the words over before he questioned, "But you said that mirrors are the portal. How come it doesn't work? Every time I try to go through one of your mirrors, all I do is hit glass."

Chuckling, Grandpa Rinto replied, "You can't go through just any ol' mirror, Ollie. What you need to travel to the Mirror World is a magic mirror."

As Oliver opened his mouth to an O shape at the simple yet wonderful solution, Rin snorted at the thought. "Magic mirrors?" she mumbled as she picked up another pebble. "Now I've heard everything."

Rin tossed the pebble in the air with one hand and, holding the bat with the other, hit the airborne pebble as hard as she could. The sound of rock meeting wood cracked. Almost pleased with herself, Rin watched as the pebble soared and landed a good few yards away.

"Great arm!" yelled an unfamiliar voice.

Spinning around, Rin saw two figures coming up through the back way. One was a girl with ankle length teal hair worn into two pigtails and dressed in a gray, mid-thigh length skirt and a green tank top. She smiled with all her teeth showing at Rin and waved so fast it was amazing that her hand didn't fly clean off her wrist. The person with her was another girl, this one with short blonde hair tied to the side and wearing white jean shorts and a hot pink T-shirt. The second girl also smiled, but she completely avoided eye contact with Rin.

"I've been wanting to meet you!" the first speaker, the tealette, said. When her eyes locked onto the bat and noticed which hand Rin held it with, she cocked her head to the side and asked, "Are you left handed?"

"Ambidextrous," Rin corrected, her irritation evident in her tone. "Now if you don't mind-"

"Why, if it isn't Miku!" Grandpa Rinto shouted, unknowingly cutting Rin off. Noticing the blonde beside Miku, he added, "And Neru with her! It's so good to see you again, darlin'. How ya likin' it here?"

"It's . . . different," the yellow-haired girl, Neru, replied, her shy smile still decorating her face.

"Rin," Grandpa Rinto began, turning his attention to his granddaughter, "these are your new neighbors for the summer. Miku visits me a lot. What a kind, sweet girl, that one. Neru's her cousin. Like you, she's new here. You should get along with them all right. Heck, y'all might become the best of friends."

"I have my doubts," Rin said under her breath. She was about to open her mouth to ask to be left alone when Miku started talking.

"When Mr. Rinto told us that he has a granddaughter our age coming to stay with him for the summer, I got so excited! This is a super small town, and the nearest school is so far away that my parents just decided to homeschool me. All the adults and old people here are great, and there are some children, but it gets super boring being the only fourteen-year-old around, especially when nobody is within two or three years of your age! I'm happy Neru is living with us now, and now I'm even more happy because I get to make a new friend!"

It took all Rin had to not scowl. "Look, that's real nice of you, but I'm having enough fun already hitting rocks. No friends needed."

"You're funny," Miku said, all her white, crooked teeth still showing. "I know you're not having fun: you look grouchy."

"My demeanor's locked in one position," Rin replied, gripping the bat harder. "I look bored out of my mind, but I'm truly enthused."

"That's not what you said this morning," Oliver called out as he wrapped his fingers around his sweating lemonade glass. "You complained that you were ready to jump out of the window because both of your ear buds broke."

"Oliver!" Rin hissed, but nobody paid her any heed.

"If it's new ear buds you need," Neru began softly, "there's a computer store in town that should carry them. We can take you there, if it's okay with Mr. Rinto."

"Fine by me, gals," Grandpa Rinto said. Lifting up his glass as if to propose a toast, he added, "Tell Mrs. Kagene that I said 'Hello' and that I thought her last batch of lemon cookies were excellent."

"Will do, Mr. Rinto," Miku replied. She waved at the old man, turned to Rin, and said, "Let's get going. It's a long walk to town, so we'd best leave now so that we can getcha back by supper."

"I never said that I was going," Rin argued, but as both Miku and Neru walked away, Rin gave in to the temptation that promised her new ear buds. If she was to survive the summer, she would need music constantly playing for her to do so.

The three girls walked for some time. Miku, undoubtedly the talkative one, kept asking Rin about where she was from and what it was like over there. Trying to avoid real conversation, Rin merely answered each question with no more than three words a piece. To Rin's frustration, even one-worded answers were satisfactory enough for Miku to encourage her to keep going with the interview. Eventually Rin stopped talking altogether, but that didn't stop Miku from her attempts to befriend the blonde.

"I guess it's time I tell ya a little about myself, ain't it?" she said, giggling. "Not much to tell, I guess. Lived here my whole life. I've an older sister, but she left for college back in August. Originally she was supposed to come back for summer break, but now that we've taken Neru in, we don't have room. I don't mind kuz Lily and I talk every day, but having a small home can be an issue sometimes."

For the rest of the walk, Rin had to keep herself from groaning and ripping her hair out. In a matter of minutes she also learned Miku's favorite color, strongest subject, weakest subject, hobbies, and interests. This led Rin to liking Neru far more, if only because the girl was quiet and pretty much left Rin alone.

By the time they reached the town, Rin regretted even more leaving her ear buds by the sink that morning. Had they not falling into the running water, they would not have broken, and Rin would have no reason to be with the two girls right now. To Rin, this was the summer where nothing could go right.

Now at their destination, Rin's eyes began scanning the area for the computer store. The town – Rin finding the term to be a bit of a stretch – consisted of a plaza on one side of the street. The bricked buildings were linked together, and signs hung overhead to inform shoppers which store was which. There were three set of these connected shops, and two of them met near the third in almost an incomplete square. If the plaza had been three times larger, Rin easily would have mistaken it for a chain mall.

The other side of the street was more scattered. Various buildings dotted the area, each building designed completely different from its neighbor. Trees were seen here and there, but other than that, there was no landscape save for the parking lots. Multiple hover taxis parked in these spaces, waiting for their patrons to finish their errands at the store and to return home to relieve the vehicles of their duty.

"Oh," Miku, who had started her trek on the plaza with the others, stopped suddenly and turned to Rin, "Mr. Rinto told us to tell Ms. Rui hi." Giggling, Miku looked both between Rin and Neru and whispered, "He has such a big crush on her. Ms. Rui has been widowed for over thirteen years now, and she's not shy about her desire to date again. She so obviously likes Mr. Rinto back, but he won't gather the courage to ask her out!"

"Maybe we can give Mr. Rinto a pep talk?" Neru suggested, her face red.

"Good thinking, Neru!" Miku exclaimed. She began running down the plaza to cross the street. Her cousin jogged in an attempt to keep up, but Rin merely walked as the majority if her focus landed on finding the computer store, unsure if it would be in the plaza or on the other side of the road.

When she noticed Rin straying far behind, Miku ran back towards Rin and asked, "Ya coming? Ms. Rui's right over there. See the bakery? The pink building? That's where we're going."

Squinting despite the building not being far away, Rin questioned, "Does Ms. Rui work in the bakery?"

"She owns it," Miku replied, her smile never once faltering.

"Does she normally use peanuts and walnuts or whatever in her baking?"

"Yep! Almost every one of her delicacies has a 'with nuts' option."

"Then I can't go."

"Why?"

"I'm severely allergic to nuts," Rin answered, for once grateful to have her allergy. "Just being around them makes me break out and lose the ability to breathe. See?" Rin held up her hand to show Miku her ring. "I can't even leave home without a safety net in case I come into contact."

"Oh." Miku bit her lower lip and looked down. "I noticed you were wearing a ring, but it didn't cross my mind that it was one of those allergy rings."

"Don't worry about it," Rin said, preferring to get to her topic of interest. "Just point out the computer store, and I'll take care of my shopping while you pass along my grandpa's message."

"All right." Pointing towards Rin's left, further down the linked shops, Miku said, "Go straight down that way. If you pass the candy store, you've gone too far." Before Rin could begin going in that direction, Miku asked, "Can you be near Neru and me if we're around nuts?"

"Only if you don't eat any," Rin answered, "but it doesn't matter. I'm buying ear buds and I'm going straight back."

"Not without us, you're not," Miku replied, crushing Rin's hope that they would leave her alone now that they walked her to town. Before she ran back to her cousin, Miku said, "We'll only be a moment. See ya in the store!"

"Not if I get out of there fast enough," Rin mumbled. Following Miku's directions, Rin located VY's Technological Wonder and stepped through the automatic glass doors.

The first thing Rin noted was the vast amounts of items the store carried. The noticeable thing after that was how cluttered the small building seemed as a result. There were multiple aisles trapped inside the coffee-colored walls. Despite not being claustrophobic, Rin felt uncomfortable at how close everything was.

"May I help you?"

Rin turned in the direction of the speaker to find a girl who was probably about eighteen standing behind the counter. She had short, curly pink hair and lime green eyes. Her attire consisted of a neon orange shirt exposing her midsection paired with a black skirt with gray suspenders wrapped over her shoulders. Her nametag read Mizki.

"Ear buds," was all Rin said.

Mizki pointed to the back of the store and replied, "Over there. You'll see the sign."

As Rin scanned the selection, another costumer came in evident by Mizki's second, "May I help you?" Rin cringed at the thought of Miku and Neru finishing their business sooner than expected, but the speaker proved that to not be the case.

"Only looking, thank you," said a man's deep voice. He began to walk around the store, and the pattern of footsteps told Rin that he was not alone.

Though she had never been one to be paranoid, something about these new visitors gave Rin an uneasy feeling. Wanting to get out of the store quicker now, Rin gave up her search for her favorite color and grabbed the first ear buds in reach. She then stalked towards the checkout, but upon rounding the corner, Rin ran right into the man and dropped the ear buds in surprise.

"Sorry," the man apologized as he bent over to retrieve Rin's item. His hair was midnight blue, and he was dressed in a black suit that must have been uncomfortable in the May heat. As he handed the package back to Rin he added, "I didn't see you there, little girl."

"I'm not a little girl," Rin said as she snatched the ear buds from his grasp. "I'm just short for my age."

"Well, you should be careful no matter your age." Leaning forward, the man said in a volume barely above a whisper, "There's been four kidnappings in the past two months. All of them not too far from the area. If I were you, I wouldn't be alone as long as I could help it."

"Kaito, stop," spoke the other man. "You're scaring her."

The first man, Kaito, stood upright again and looked at his companion. "I'm just warning her, Gakupo. Wouldn't want this sweet little face to disappear, wouldn't we?"

Despite her heart constricting desire to get away quickly, Rin found herself taking in both men - boys, really, now that she looked them over. The second of the two, Gakupo, had long purple hair tied back in a high ponytail, and like Kaito, he wore a black suit. The two couldn't have been any older than nineteen or twenty, but their height and the way they carried themselves made both appear so much older. Each one had a look in his eyes that told Rin they knew more than they were letting on, and Rin didn't want to stay long enough to figure out what it was.

"I'll be careful," Rin promised, planning to put the comment into action. She tried to walk away from the men while excusing herself, but Kaito grabbed her collar from behind.

"Don't go falling into any glass," he whispered into her ear, the strange words rough and threatening. Fear involuntarily scrapped down Rin's spine. "You're a pretty girl. It would be a real shame if we had to search for you next."

Before she could react, Kaito released Rin and began to walk towards the watch section, Gakupo wordlessly following behind. Rin's breathing hitched for a moment, and she clutched the ear bud package so tightly that it was leaving marks in her palm and fingers. It wasn't until Miku and Neru walked into the store that Rin snapped out of her trance.

"You okay, Rin?" Miku asked at the notice of how pale the blonde's face was becoming.

"Fine," Rin answered. Dismissing the encounter from her mind, Rin said, "After I purchase these, let's get out of here. I'm ready to go."

* * *

Rin believed that the moment she and the others made it back to Grandpa Rinto's home, Miku and Neru would leave. The girl was all but ready to see them go away when Grandpa Rinto invited them to stay for dinner, and it was to Rin's great displeasure that the two accepted the invitation. Even now she sat glaring at all who sat at the table. Grandpa Rinto was at the head across from her, Oliver on his right and Miku and Neru on his left. To make things worse, Oliver asked his grandfather to tell him more about the Mirror World, and Miku joined in to fill Neru in on what she didn't know.

"They're different from us kuz they're more into art and stuff," Miku was saying.

Oliver bounced back with, "Yeah, Grandpa Rinto says that almost everyone there is left-handed as well, just like Rin!"

"Ambidextrous," Rin corrected through clenched teeth. For emphasis, she held up her fork with her right hand and stabbed at her food with just as much coordination as she would with her left. "I'm ambidextrous. There is a difference," she added.

"Either way," Grandpa Rinto began, "what's common in our world is rare in theirs. When somebody here says they like music, they usually mean they like to study it. Not so in the Mirror World. There, liking music is associated with playing, singing, and meditating on it." He looked at his granddaughter and winked. "I think you would like that, Rin, since ya always got them ear buds in."

Rin said nothing. All she did was stab at her fried chicken strips and scowl at the comment.

"Didn't you also say that the people in the Mirror World have magic?" Oliver asked. He stirred around his mashed potatoes and added, "Because that would be really cool to have magic so that I wouldn't have to clean my room anymore."

Chuckling, Grandpa Rinto answered, "Magic doesn't perform yer work for ya, Ollie. Magic still takes energy, and sometimes it's less work to do something yerself than to recite a spell."

"Um, I'm sorry," Neru interrupted, raising her hand slightly as if she was getting a teacher's attention in class. "One thing confuses me: I get that interaction between both worlds is forbidden and all, but why can't we trade with these people? I'm sure there's something we have that they would want enough to exchange some of their magic for."

Before Grandpa Rinto could answer, Rin slammed her hands on the table and stood up so fast that her chair went sailing to the floor behind her. "I can't believe you all are going along with this!" she exclaimed, her fingernails digging into the wood below. "Never in my life have I heard anything so stupid. Are you all really that dumb to believe such garbage?!"

"Calm down, Rin," Miku said slowly as she set down her utensils. "We know that the Mirror World ain't real. It's just a fun, made up story we tell to pass the time. Nothing but a little harmless fiction."

"Harmless?" Rin snorted. "There's a reason fiction is going extinct, Miku. It's a pointless waste of time. Why do you think the only books that are written these days are textbooks and nonfiction? Why do you think movies and television shows made purely for entertainment don't exist anymore? Oh, that's right, because no one could care less! If there's nothing educational about it, then it's mind rotting. So don't try to tell me that any of this is harmless, you bloated serpent."

Miku's jaw dropped at the name. Neru gasped and looked between Miku and Rin. Grandpa Rinto narrowed his eyes at Rin and rebuked, "You apologize to Miku right now, young lady. That is not how we treat a guest."

"I don't care!" Rin shouted. "She should know better than to encourage your crazy stories. I can't believe you would feed such nonsense to my little brother!"

"It's not nonsense," Oliver argued. He stood up and immediately jumped onto the chair in an attempt to make himself appear taller. "I believe Grandpa Rinto. The Mirror World is real!"

"No, it's not," Rin argued.

"Is too!" Oliver shot back before folding his arms over his chest in the way he did when nobody was going to convince him of anything he didn't believe."

Fighting the urge to pick up the first utensil she touched and to throw it across the room, Rin turned attention back to her grandfather and cried, "Now look what you've done! Oliver is never going to grow up if you have him believing such stupid fairytales. He's going to get bullied at school and sent to therapy all because you couldn't keep your stupid mouth shut over your crazy, make believe world."

"Rin," Grandpa Rinto said her name as if it was a warning, "you're causing a scene."

"I don't care," Rin growled.

"Maybe we could change the subject," Neru quietly suggested, but she instantly regretted calling attention to herself.

"Shut up, you nimrod!" Rin snapped. To her and Miku both, "I am not your friend. I will never be your friend. Leave me alone. If either of you ever speak so much as a word to me again, I will destroy you." To her grandfather, "I don't want to be here. My parents only sent me here to punish me! And you had to go and make it even more unbearable with your ridiculous stories of the stupid Mirror World! I'm ashamed to be named after you. Heck, you're absolutely insane! I hate you. I hate all of you."

Leaving her cruel words to seep, Rin stalked out of the dining room without looking back. "I hope they hate me now, because I regret nothing," she grumbled as she climbed the rickety stairs. She paid little attention to where her feet led her, and it was as if suddenly waking from a dream that Rin realized that she stood under the attic door.

The thought of being another floor away from everyone appeasing her, Rin pulled on the latch, let the attic stairs hit the floor with a soft thud, and climbed the wooden planks. She turned on the lights while simultaneously pulling her nano player and ear buds from her pocket, but she stopped midway at the sight of the grand mirror across the room. Despite herself, Rin approached the mirror and glared at her reflection.

"Mirror World? Puh." Her ears burning and teeth clenching, Rin kicked the bottom of the mirror only to instantly regret it at the shock her bare toes suffered. "Ow!" She bent down to cradled her aching digits. Rubbing the pain away, Rin began to stand upright again when she heard a soft, musical sound.

Rin put her nano player and ear buds back into her pocket and took a step towards the decorated object. The closer she got, the louder the chanting became. Pressing her palms against the mirror, Rin leaned forward and touched her ear to the glass. What she heard held a musical rhythm, and something about it made Rin want to understand it better. This desire caused her to press herself in further.

And fall through the glass as if it had never been.


	4. Chapter 4

Rin's nose collided with the hardwood floors. Stinging pain shot through her face, and her palms and knees were undoubtedly scraped from her failed attempt to stop her fall. Other than several potential bruises, Rin concluded that the fall inflicted to her no lasting injuries.

 _I guess the mirror is one of those kinds that rotate, and when I leaned in, it was pushed from under me,_ Rin quickly concluded as she hoisted herself on one elbow and used her free hand to rub her throbbing nose. To her relief, Rin felt no blood pooling from her nostrils.

Blinking, Rin stared ahead to see what Grandpa Rinto kept behind the grand mirror. She expected to meet more boxes and chests of old items, but instead Rin's eyes landed on a pair of worn brown shoes falling apart at the toes and the aglets long since gone. With her heart sinking inside her chest, Rin gradually shifted her attention upwards, first seeing ankles and then legs and a torso until finally landing on the face of the owner of the damaged footwear.

Just a few inches from Rin stood a boy. Despite never meeting him before, Rin found him extremely familiar. He had a round face shaped by bangs, blond hair tied back into a ponytail, a small nose, thin lips opened into an O shape, and cerulean eyes that widened at the sight of the girl lying at his feet. He wore brown slacks and a cream colored, button-up shirt with sleeves that reached his wrists, an outfit that reminded Rin of pictures from history books. Other than their fashion sense, the dumbstruck Rin could not deny the similarities between this boy and herself. He could have been the male version of her.

It was the boy who spoke first. He squatted down so that his face was closer to Rin's, studied her for a moment, and whispered, "It's you. The girl from the mirror."

Suddenly the memory from three days ago flashed in Rin's head. The boy she saw when she touched the glass was standing before her, and he had seen her as well. At a total loss for words, all Rin could reply with was, "You're the boy I saw."

The boy stretched out his hand. Rin stared at it for a while before accepting his offer, and as he pulled her to her feet he said, "I can't believe that just happened. My intent may have been to open the portal, but I wasn't trying to pull you through it."

Reality snapping back into Rin, she yanked her hand from the boys and took in her surroundings. Not a thing in this place looked familiar. She was still in an attic, but it was with a chill running up her spine that Rin realized she was not in her Grandpa Rinto's house anymore.

This attic was filled with dented wardrobes and clothes on old coat racks. The stench of moth balls invaded Rin's nostril, and dust clung to her from the air. Here and there echoed creeks as if the walls moaned, displeased at Rin's arrival. Filled with stomach twisting anxiety at the alien room, Rin spun completely around and felt happier than she was willing to admit to find a mirror identical to the one she fell into. However, all relief was lost at what she saw.

"Where's my reflection?!" Rin exclaimed as she jumped away. The boy seemed to make the discovery at the same time. "And where's yours?!" Rin cried when she realized that she wasn't the only person missing from the mirror's frames.

"This isn't supposed to happen!" the boy shouted, panic evident in his tight tone.

"Well I don't know what you did, but fix it!" Rin demanded. "Where am I, and who are you?"

"Okay, okay. Time to calm down," the boy said, mostly to himself, as he pressed his index and middle fingers into his temples. "You're not going to get anywhere having a panic attack."

"Answer my questions now, or a panic attack is the last thing you're going to have to worry about," Rin threatened. She tried to maintain a tough stance, but her knees wobbled where she stood and her fists shook at her sides. "Who are you, what did you do, and where am I?"

Releasing a deep breath, the boy began, "My name is Len Kagamine. I'm not exactly sure what I did, but I do know that you're no longer in your world."

"In my world?" Rin questioned. Thoughts of Grandpa Rinto and his Mirror World came to mind, but Rin instantly discarded them. "Oh, I see now," she said. "I hit my head too hard, went unconscious, and now I'm dreaming."

"Uh, I hate to pop your balloon," Len replied, "but you're not dreaming."

"Yes, I am." Rin stretched her arms out. "Science can easily explain what's going on. This is all merely a fabrication of my overloaded mind. I'm unconscious now, and my brain is placing me in an unfamiliar environment as a way to demonstrate how stressed I've been these past few days. When I wake up, I'll be back in reality."

Rolling his eyes, Len quickly reached out an arm and pinched Rin above her elbow. When she cried out in pain and demanded, "What was that for?!" Len said to her, "If you were really dreaming, that wouldn't've hurt."

"Says the figment of my imagination," Rin grumbled as she rubbed her stinging flesh. Stepping away, Rin said, "Now that I'm aware, I'm going to wake up at any moment. Any moment now, I'm going to wake up. . . Now!" Nothing changed. "I'm going to wake up _now_!"

Nothing happened.

Len stared at her, watching her every move. "How's this dream theory working for you?"

"Shut up! Maybe I'm in a coma and can't wake up. I saw that in a movie for Psychology 101 once. It could be possible."

"What are you saying?" Len shook his head. "Never mind. Listen to me, this is real. I'm real." Len approached the mirror and touched the glass. It was blank where his reflection was supposed to stand, causing only the wall and stacked trunks behind them both to appear inside the frames. "Ever since I saw you in here, I've been trying to open the portal to your world. The past two nights ended in failure, but for some reason tonight I was able to bring you here." He looked back at Rin and added, "I know this is extremely hard for you to believe-"

"Just shut up!" Rin interrupted, her hands thrown into the air and just as forcefully jerked back to her sides. "This is insane. I'm dreaming. I know I am. I studied too hard for that history summer exam, and now I'm dreaming about the thirteenth century."

Len rose an eyebrow. "Thirteenth century?" he questioned. "I don't know what year it is where you're from, but it's the twentieth century here."

"Like I believe you," Rin snorted. Waving her hand over his outfit, she said, "Look what you're wearing."

"I can say the same about you," Len replied, his eyes looking over Rin's exposed midriff and dirty capris before returning their attention to the girl's face. "It's 1995, by the way."

Blood began to drain from Rin's face. "That's not possible."

"Yes, it is," Len tried to convince her.

With the blood rushing through her ears making it difficult to hear, Rin sank to the floor, pulled her legs towards her chest, and lied her head on her knees. "This isn't happening. This isn't happening. This isn't happening." The reality of her situation began to sink in. As much as she tried to deny it, Rin knew that she truly did fall through Grandpa Rinto's mirror and into another world.

Her chest felt constricted. The world started spinning. Sweat started to form on her face and the back of her neck. Breathing became impossible. It wasn't long before her lungs cried for the air she couldn't take in despite her jerky inhaling and exhaling. The world was turning black around her. _This isn't happening. This isn't happening!_

A gentle touch feathered Rin's back, pulled away, and returned a second later as a comforting caress that ran up and down Rin's shoulder blade. "Slow, deep breaths." Len advised. Rin tried, but she still couldn't slow down. "Sit up," Len ordered as he used both hands to force Rin upright. "Look into my eyes. C'mon, just my eyes. There you go. Now don't look away. Do as I do. Breathe in through your nose. One . . . two . . . three. Hold it. Hold it. Just a little longer. Breathe out through your mouth. One . . . two . . . three."

Again and again they repeated the ritual. Len guided Rin until her breathing returned to normal. Rubbing her shoulders, he told her to take it easy lest she bring up another episode.

"Am I . . . ," Rin began, but the fear of hearing the answer caused her to trail off. As she took another deep breath, Rin found the courage to ask, "Am I in the Mirror World?"

Tilting his head to the side, Len answered, "Is that what you call this universe? We call yours the Reflected World."

"So I really am on the other side of the mirror?" Rin's lips shook. Her arms clung to her legs. The creaking in the room continued, as if the attic was growing more and more displeased with Rin's presence, as if the walls were closing in more and more. All she wanted to do was curl into a little ball and hide away, but Rin knew she would get nowhere if she didn't act. "Send me back. Now," she ordered. "I want to go home."

"As you wish," Len replied. "But before I do, would you please tell me your name?"

"Why would I do that?"

"Because I want to know your name. Plus, I told you mine."

Rin was about to argue before remembering that the boy did indeed introduce himself. Len Kagamine. He had the same surname as she did. "I'm . . . I'm Rin Kagamine," she said slowly.

"Your birthday wouldn't happen to be December 27, would it?" Len asked. "You're going to be fifteen this year, aren't you?"

Furrowing her brows, Rin answered by asking, "How do you know?"

"Because . . . that's my birthday, too." He ripped his eyes from Rin's own and began to look the rest of the girl over as he studied every physical trait of her. "Rin, I . . . I believe you're my mirror image."

"Mirror image?" Rin questioned, but Len didn't hear.

"No, you have to be!" Snapping his attention to the mirror in front of him, he continued, "Neither of us have a reflection. You have to be my mirror image; you're my reflection."

"Stop!" Rin exclaimed as she pushed Len and jumped to her feet. "Just send me back so this can all be over with. I go home, and everything will be fixed. Now quit stalling and open the portal before I slam your head against the glass."

Without a word, Len knelt by the mirror, pressed his cheek against it, and began to chant. He spoke the words too fast for Rin to pick up on their individual meaning, but she found herself mesmerized by the musical flow they carried as they wafted through the air and danced within her ears. It was almost disappointing when he stopped, but Rin wouldn't mind never hearing the chant again as long as she could leave.

"Is it ready?" Rin asked after Len had been silent for a moment.

"No," Len answered with a shake of his head. He tried again, but this time distress was evident in his tone. He kept pressing his palm against the mirror, but instead of a portal letting him through, glass resisted his touch. "I can't get the portal to open back up," he admitted, his face paling.

"You're kidding!" Rin cried as she pressed her hands against the mirror only to feel the same cold, hard glass as Len. "Why won't whatever sent me here send me back home?!" Turning to Len she shouted, "This is all your fault!"

Before Len could respond, the voice of a young girl called Len's name. Both Rin and Len froze solid as the voice, as well as soft footsteps, ascended into the attic. Soon enough the top of a blonde head became visible through the entrance on the floor.

"You've been up here so long I started to worry, and then I thought I heard voices-" A little girl stopped short when her eyes landed on Rin. Her small jaw fell open, and her amber eyes grew wider by the second.

Rin's own eyes widened at the sight of another girl. She looked into those eyes before. This little girl looked just like-

"Olivia," Len began, turning his full attention to the new arrival, "let me explain."

The girl didn't. Instead she shouted at the top of her lungs, "Grandma Lenka!"

* * *

Everything from seeing the girl who looked so much like Oliver to sitting in the home's library with a cup of tea in her hands was a blur in Rin's memory. Len silencing the girl, telling Rin that they had to go downstairs, and offering her a drink were so fuzzy in her mind that Rin believed them more to be dreams than the past five minutes. Even now, as she breathed in the scent of smoke as the fire crackled in the fireplace and felt the warmth from the cup sink into her flesh, nothing seemed to be real.

Rin tore her eyes away from the brown liquid in favor of studying her surroundings. Book spines of a variety of sizes and colors filled every nook and cranny of wall space. There were two chairs – one on which Rin was sitting – and a loveseat circling a coffee table that sat on a dark green, cranberry red, and muted cream-colored rug in the middle of the room. On one wall was the door, and on the other was the fireplace. On the loveseat sat the girl, Olivia as Len had called her, studying Rin as much as Rin studied all that was around her.

Fed up with Olivia refusing to shift her attention to something else, Rin looked at the child and growled, "What are you looking at?"

"You," Olivia replied, either unaware or not caring of the malice in Rin's tone. "Are you really my brother's mirror image?"

"Are you really this annoying?" Rin looked again at her cup of tea and slowly took a small sip. It was sweet and hot as it slid down her throat and warmed her body from the inside out. However, it did nothing to lift her mood. "Stop staring at me!"

"I can't!" Olivia argued. "You look too much like Len for me to look away!"

"He and I look nothing alike," Rin stated even though she herself had to admit to her and Len's striking similarities.

"Do too," Olivia said. When Rin didn't respond, Olivia asked, "Do you have a little brother? Because if you and Len are mirror images, and you're a girl and he's a boy, then my mirror image must be a boy, and since Len is my brother then you must be my mirror image's sister."

"I don't think that long explanation was necessary," Rin said as she set her cup on the coffee table.

"Well, do you have a little brother or not?"

"If I tell you, will you leave me alone?"

"Maybe."

Deciding to give it a try anyway, Rin answered, "Yes, I have a little brother. His name is Oliver, and he's ten years old." Olivia opened her mouth as if to respond with excitement, but Rin silenced her with, "Don't you dare say another word." The small girl closed her mouth without speaking.

"Sorry I took so long," Len said as he entered the room. "Grandma Lenka isn't really happy with . . . uh, the problem I caused."

"She isn't the only one," Rin snarled. "Where is this bag of bones, anyway?"

"This bag of bones is right here," replied an old yet melodic voice. Rin cast her eyes in the direction of the speaker and had to keep from dropping her jaw. The elderly woman before her resembled Grandpa Rinto so much that, if not for her long hair tied back with a yellow ribbon, Rin would have mistaken the woman for her grandfather. She had the same gray eyes as Rinto, and her hair also displayed a silvery gray with a few natural, stubborn blonde streaks. Like Olivia, the woman dressed herself in a skirt so long it brushed the floors and a corset worn over her waist and chest.

Grandma Lenka walked to the chair closest to the fire, sat down, and looked Rin over. "You're Len's mirror image, all right," was the only thing she said.

"I knew it!" Olivia exclaimed, but she silenced when she noticed Rin glaring at her.

"Gee, thanks for that update, Agent Obvious," Rin said, rolling her eyes as she retrieved the teacup and drank from it. "Can you tell me how to get home?"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," the woman clicked her tongue. "Of all the things I could expect from my grandson's mirror image, such a rude girl was the furthest thing from my mind. Why, not even a thank you for the tea."

"If your grandson didn't send me here in the first place-" Rin began, but Grandma Lenka silenced the girl with a wave of her hand.

"Len is fully aware of the mistake he has made, and it would do you no good to make the boy feel any more guilty than he already does," she said. "As for sending you home, that won't be happening any time soon."

"Why?!" Rin demanded as she stood upright and, in her fit of rage, threw the cup of tea onto the ground. She flinched at the sound of the china breaking into dozens of pieces, but no apology found itself climbing up her throat.

"Oh, dear," Grandma sighed. To Len, "You know what to do."

Standing, Len moved to kneel beside the shatter teacup, waved his hands over the pieces, and began to speak.

 _"Oh, you precious little one,_

 _Who has broken beyond repair,_

 _Come and be whole again._

 _There is no reason to despair."_

Just then every piece, no matter how big or small, began to levitate off the ground. The china pieces came together as if they were parts of a puzzle finally being made whole. In a matter of seconds, the cup was sitting on the coffee table, completely fixed as if it had never been so much as cracked.

Dumbstruck, Rin gaped at the sight. Working her open jaw, Rin struggled to say the words, "What did you just do?"

Len furrowed his brows. "Nothing more than a simple spell," he said. As Rin failed to peel her eyes away from the teacup, he added, "Don't act so surprised. Haven't you ever seen a fixing spell before?"

"No, Len, she hasn't," Grandma Lenka answered for Rin.

"Oh, it's because the Reflected World doesn't have magic, right, Grandma Lenka?" Olivia piped up.

"Exactly," the woman replied, a smile directed towards her granddaughter. "The reflected world has technology, a thing of myth here. Why, Rin, you wouldn't happen to have any technology on you now, would you?"

Fighting the urge to put her hand protectively over her pocket in which her nano player resided, Rin said, "No, I don't."

"Very well." Grandma Lenka pointed at the chair. "Sit back down, hon. I still need to tell you why you can't be sent home right now." After Rin had seated herself, Grandma Lenka explained, "As you can see, I'm an old woman; my magical abilities, though never anything special, have long since vanished. Len, unfortunately, has inherited my poor magic skills. Though not incapable of simple spells, large tasks like opening the portal as he did are beyond his reach."

"The only reason I could open the portal in the mirror was because you were on the other side. Or at least that's what Grandma Lenka told me a little while ago," Len said, taking over the explanation. "As long as we're in the same world, neither one of us will have a reflection. Without a reflection in the mirror, I'm too weak to send you back to your world."

Rin felt her heart stop. She clutched the arm rests as if they were a lifeline. Breathing started to get difficult again, but this time Rin focused on not allowing herself to fall under another panic attack. After a few slow, deep breaths, Rin asked, "So I'm stuck here . . . forever?"

"Praise the gods, no," Grandma Lenka answered. "I know you're unfamiliar with our world so I'll try to explain this to you as simply as I can. Since Len is a child born in the winter months, his magical potential is at its strongest during the summer solstice. It's nearing the end of May now, and in a month's time, Len should be capable of reopening the portal without you being in your own world. Yes, you will have to stay with us for much longer than you would like, but it won't be forever."

It was as if the weight of the world crashed onto Rin's shoulders. Portals made from glass, Mirror Worlds, magic - things she was mocking just that morning. Rin clutched the arm rests tighter, digging her nails into the resistant fabric and causing her already chalk white knuckles the pale ever more.

As he watched his mirror image suffer through this horrid realization, Len made eye contact with her and said, "I'm so sorry I did this to you."

The words snapped Rin back into reality. Her cerulean orbs stared daggers at the blond boy, and her teeth gritted so hard it caused pain in her jaw. "This is all your fault," she said, forcing the words out. Before Len could respond, Rin jumped from her chair and tackled Len, throwing him off the loveseat as she wrestled him to the ground.


	5. Chapter 5

Stirring under heavy blankets, Rin grumbled about the morning sunlight shining through the window and landing across her eyes. She rolled over to move her face away from the sun's rays, but it was as she felt the silk of a nightgown between her legs that the night before flashed behind Rin's eyelids and she bolted upright in hopes of being in her own room. However, that hope was crushed at the sight of an unfamiliar place.

Blue walls, bookshelves, paintings hanging above the bed and beside the window – this was not her bedroom, let alone the room she slept in at Grandpa Rinto's. Rin rubbed her eyes, remembering what had happened from landing on the attic floor to the point she began to fight Len. Even though he could have cast a spell to throw her off had he wanted to, Rin was sure, Len did not defend himself as his mirror image slapped and punched him. Grandma Lenka was able to force Rin off her grandson despite her age, and while Olivia practiced her healing magic, Grandma Lenka explained to Rin that she wouldn't want to ever hurt Len too badly.

"Your life is connected with Len's," she had said. "If I were you, I would not go as far as to injure him. Let's say you push Len down the stairs and the incident leaves him paralyzed from the waist down. You know what will happen to you? Without even falling down the stairs yourself, you too will lose the ability to walk." At Rin's disbelieving snort, Grandma Lenka added, "Scoff if you will, but don't take this lightly. If either one of you die, it doesn't matter how safe the other is supposed to be. Both of you will drop dead the same instant."

Without giving Rin another opportunity to so much as look at Len, Grandma Lenka lead Rin upstairs, gave her a silk nightgown to sleep in, and promised to work the situation out in the morning. Now that Rin was awake and had reason to believe that this was not a dream, she clutched the blanket in her closed fists as she used Len's breathing technique from the night before to keep from losing herself again.

 _Grandpa Rinto isn't the crazy one. I am. I'm the one stuck on the other side of a mirror. What am I supposed to do?_

Dragging herself from beneath the covers, Rin's feet landed on the cold floors. She stood upright and left the bedroom. The hall was similar to the one in Grandpa Rinto's home, except Grandma Lenka decorated her walls with bookshelves and paintings. As normal as it must have been for the old woman and her grandchildren, the decor made it impossible for Rin to forget that she was in an alien world. She ran her fingers along the book spines and studied the art hanging above. There were paintings of gardens and oceans and carnivals – things Rin always heard about but never seen. The paintings, that is. Her surroundings were foreign, but something about this strange setting seemed almost welcoming to the girl.

Rin pulled herself away and found the attic trapdoor open and the ladder down. Filled with the desire to see the magic mirror again, Rin scaled the steps and pulled herself into the dusty room. There, at the end of the attic, sat the grand, golden framed mirror. To Rin's surprise, in front of the mirror sat none other than her mirror image himself.

"I can't look away," Len said, his words dull as if the boy had spent all night staring at the glass that reflected everything but him. Turning towards Rin, Len said, "I am so sorry about all of this. You were right to attack me. I should've known better than to mess around like I did and bring you here."

Fury bloomed inside of Rin's chest and quickly blossomed, her jaw clenching and her fingers curling into fists in response. "You better be sorry, you dulwit. I'm stuck in this gods forsaken place all because you had to sing to a mirror. Forget surviving Grandpa Rinto's; how am I supposed to freaking live in your awful world when you don't even have indoor plumbing?! This is all your fault!"

"I know it is," Len replied, stopping Rin in her tracks.

Since he was her mirror image, she didn't expect him to be so passive. If it were the other way around, Rin knew she would not tolerate being talked to the way she spoke to Len. This thought caused Rin to believe that maybe she shouldn't speak to Len in such a way if she wouldn't like it, but she cast away the feeling and growled, "Too bad that's not going to get me home any faster."

For a moment, neither spoke. Rin glared at Len, and Len looked into the mirror. Finally, he said, "What's your life like?"

The question completely surprised Rin. So much so that all the blonde could respond with was "What?"

"What's your life like, in the Reflected World?" Len repeated. "It must be very different from mine if we are the same person yet so opposite of each other."

"We are not the same person," Rin spat, "and thanks to you, I am missing instant communication, logic that actually makes sense, and an indoor toilet!"

Shaking his head, Len said, "But what is your life like? I know enough to be able to say that you have both of your parents, a little brother, and a grandfather whom you're spending your summer with, but that's not enough. Is your family . . . poor?"

"Poor? Ha!" Rin crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes to slits. "We're rich, idiot. If I want something, all I have to do is ask. No strings attached. Except now I'm-"

"Stuck in this horrible, horrible world," Len finished for her. "I know. You hate it here, and it's all my fault."

"Good, we're on the same page." With that, Rin spun on her heel and began to stalk off. Before she descended the stairs, Rin looked over her shoulder and said the words as if she was throwing them at Len, "And if there's one thing I hate more than this world, it's you for bringing me into it."

* * *

"Grandma Lenka," Olivia asked as she entered the kitchen, "why are you taking the mirrors down?"

"In case people visit, hon," Grandma Lenka answered as she lifted another mirror off the wall and handed it to Len. "If someone comes over and notices that Len and Rin don't have a reflection, we're going to be in big, big trouble."

"What's the worst that can happen, Grandma Lenka?" Len asked after setting the mirror in the trunk his grandmother was storing the glass in.

"Terrible, horrible things," the elderly woman answered. "Rin's world is super advanced compared to our own despite having no magic. If somebody knows that Rin came from this other world, they will try to open a portal to it and take it over for its technology. Of course the people of the Reflected World are going to fight back, and it will only be a matter of time before we are engaged in a war between worlds. Except this won't be any regular war. With the connection we all share with our mirror images, people on both sides will be dying twice as fast. Now quit yapping and help me put these mirrors away. Olivia, why don't you make yourself useful and begin making oatmeal for breakfast."

In the span of twenty minutes, Grandma Lenka and Len had taken down all the mirrors around the home and placed them in a trunk that Grandma Lenka shoved into the downstairs closet. To Len, who had only been staying with his grandmother for a few days at that point, the house looked exceedingly empty without all the mirrors reflecting the room around him, leaving nothing to be hidden. Yet at the same time, putting the mirrors away also put an end to the heart sinking feeling Len got every time he saw everyone's and everything's reflection but his own.

As she wiped her hands on her apron, Grandma Lenka turned to Len and said, "Go upstairs and see what's taking Rin so long. It shouldn't take that long to figure out how to wear the clothes I gave her."

"Yes, ma'am," Len replied. He jogged up the stairs but slowed down when he stood only a few feet away from the door of the room Rin was going to sleep in until she could go home. Gathering his courage, Len knocked on the door and said, "Hey, Rin, is everything okay in there? You've been up here for a long time, and we're about to eat breakfast."

"Go away," Rin called from the other side.

Len bit his lip. "Look, I know you want to go home, but I'm unable to open the portal for a month. Until then you need to learn to live with us. Now please quit being so frigid. You're not making this any easier for us by doing so, you know."

No answer.

Gritting his teeth, Len turned the knob to find it unlocked, warned her with the phrase "I'm coming in," and opened the door. Rin sat on the bed, clothes ruffled, hair unkempt, and red face unwashed. She was looking at her hands and twisting the ring she wore on her finger. "Are you okay?" Len asked as he took in her sagging shoulders and puffy eyes.

"I thought I told you to go away," was how Rin chose to answer. She scratched her arms through the cotton sleeves of her new outfit. "These clothes are so itchy," she stated. "And confusing. A skirt with suspenders, the sleeves working like a jacket, and a corset to tie around the waist? And you think my clothes are weird."

"Just come down for breakfast, please," Len said. "I'm sorry that you're having a tough morning-"

"I'm having a tough summer, thank you very much," Rin interrupted. "Not only am I not home, but I'm not even in my own world anymore!"

"How many times do I have to say I'm sorry?!" Taking a deep breath, Len slowly spoke the words, "If you want to spend the next month locked in this room, pouting at everything, be my guest. I don't care. At first I felt guilty for bringing you here, but now I can't pretend to feel sorry for you. All you do is gripe and whine: I can't believe we're supposed to be the same person when we're obviously not alike at all."

Not giving Rin an opportunity to respond, Len left the room and closed the door behind him. He wasn't halfway down the stairs before a figure joined him and growled, "I wasn't whining. What I was doing was complaining. And you would gripe too if you were in my shoes. Try being tossed into a world the exact opposite of your own and tell me you would remain optimistic."

Len watched as Rin, shoulders thrown back and head held high despite her blotchy face, stalked past him and entered the kitchen. Following behind, Len sat himself at the table as the others stirred their oatmeal with silver spoons. Unable to stop himself, Len looked at Rin as she mixed the breakfast food as if it was its fault she felt so displeased. After a taste test proved the oatmeal to be too bland for her preference, Rin reached across the table for the sugar and started pouring teaspoons of the white powder into her food.

"What do you plan on passing me off as while I'm here?" Rin asked as she replaced the sugar. "Or were you thinking more on the lines of having me hide in the attic whenever somebody comes by?"

"Now, now, nothing so drastic," Grandma Lenka answered as she sweetened her own breakfast. "As no one in the town has met Len or Olivia yet, it won't be impossible to pass you on as their sibling and another one of my grandchildren."

"But Len and I are the same age," Rin argued.

"That's why you're going to say that Len is your twin," Grandma Lenka replied. To Len, "Same goes for you. Rin is your twin sister. Got that? If anyone asks how many siblings you have, you tell them two sisters instead of one. Understand?"

"Understood," Len replied, his demeanor serious.

To Olivia, Grandma Lenka said, "And as for you, missy, Rin is your big sister. She is Len's twin. Do I make myself clear?" When Olivia responded by simply nodding her head, Grandma Lenka ordered, "I need you to say it. I need you to tell me that you understand how serious this situation is."

"I understand," Olivia said, her words spoken softly. "Rin and Len are twins. Rin is my big sister just as Len is my big brother."

"Very good." Grandma Lenka released a breath she had to have been holding. To Len, "After breakfast, I need you and Rin to go outside and start pulling weeds from my garden. I normally do it myself, but I think some work should do you children good."

"Yes, ma'am," Len immediately responded. He looked at Rin, and when she made eye contact with him, he glared at her until she answered the elderly woman.

"Fine," Rin grumbled before shoving a spoonful of oatmeal into her mouth.

As he focused his attention on eating his own breakfast, Len wondered how he was going to survive having Rin around when he was just as ready for her to go as she was.

* * *

Not only was the sun beating down on them and the wind hot and dry, but the attire of the Mirror World made Rin feel extremely uncomfortable as she pulled weeds from the earth. Instead of arguing or trying to find a way out of doing chores, Rin merely did them. If she didn't do something to keep her physically and mentally occupied, she believed her sanity would slowly slip away from the weight of being in this parallel universe. The work itself wasn't bad, but she would lose whatever peace she gathered if Len kept interrupting her calming nature.

"You're pulling out weeds too slowly."

"Make sure you get the roots, too, or else you won't kill the plant."

"Rin, those aren't weeds you're pulling."

After hearing the comments for so long, Rin began to snap, "I swear to the gods, Len, if you don't shut up for five freaking minutes-"

"I'm sorry, are we interrupting something?"

Rin immediately forgot about Len and turned her attention to the women who must have approached some minutes ago. One had brown hair and red eyes, and she wore a dress similar in style to Rin's but red in color and seemed to be made of lighter fabric. The woman beside her had long, pink hair, baby blue eyes, and dressed herself in a blue dress of the same material.

Something about their presence made Rin freeze in place as her heart jumped to her throat and her stomach simultaneously dropped. This feeling reminded Rin of the men she met at the computer store, and the growing urge to flee drastically increased with the reminder. She thought that perhaps these women were the men's mirror images, but the lack of similarities disrupted that theory. Either way, something about them frightened Rin, and by the tightness of Len's voice when he finally spoke, Rin knew he felt it too.

"May we help you?" Len asked.

"May we speak to your parents?" the brunette answered as she give a teeth-showing smile.

"My parents aren't here," Len said, "but my grandma is inside if you'd like to talk to her."

Tilting her head to the side, the pinkette questioned, "'My parents'? 'My grandma'?"

"He means 'our,'" Rin stated. Thinking up an excuse quick, Rin explained, "We don't usually spend a lot of time together, so neither of us use the plural possessive case out of habit."

The brunette looked Rin up and down before saying, "Very well. You two may return to your work. Sorry to have bothered you."

"It's all right," Len said as the two walked towards the front door. After Olivia, who answered the door, let the women in, Len turned to Rin and whispered, "Please tell me I'm not the only one who felt that tightening aura."

"If you mean they gave you weird vibes, I felt it too," Rin replied just as quietly.

Neither of them spoke after that. Instead they pulled more stubborn weeds from the soil. Sweat poured from Rin's forehead, and she could taste the salty liquid on her lips. The women left not too long after going inside to talk to Grandma Lenka, but the uneasy feeling did not leave with them. With the never fleeting anxiety mixed with her growing exhaustion, Rin stood on her feet and walked away from the garden.

"Where do you think you're going?" Len asked, sitting on his knees and wiping his own sweat from his brow.

"Inside. I'm done with this," Rin answered.

"Grandma Lenka wants all of the weeds pulled, and we're just barely halfway finished. This will take at least another hour."

"Sucks for you. I'm not spending my day playing in the dirt."

Jumping to his feet, Len ran after Rin and grabbed her wrist to stop her. "Could you please put an end to this spoiled princess attitude? Grandma Lenka sent us out here to do work, and we do not go back inside unless we finish the job or she says we can take a break."

"So getting fresh water is out?" Rin waved her empty tin cup at him. "I'm tired, thirsty, and don't want to spend any more time with you."

"Great, our feelings towards each other are mutual." Len sighed and let Rin go. "As much as we both hate it, you are spending the next month with us. Can't we spend that time as, I don't know, friends? I'm not really fond of the thought that I'm literally my own worst enemy."

Spitting the words through her teeth, Rin said, "We will never, ever be friends because I will never, ever stop hating you. Go rot in purgatory." Having said that, Rin spun on her heel and began to stomp away. The motion was cut short when Rin overlooked a small ditch in the ground, tripped over it, and fell face first in the dirt. Hot tears of embarrassment starting to sting the back of her eyes, and her face grew uncomfortably warm.

Rin pushed herself first onto her elbows and then onto her knees. Sitting on her legs, she wiped her nose and blinked back the tears so that they could not fall. Before she moved to stand to her feet, a hand came into her view. Slowly, Rin looked Len's way to see him offering his hand to help her up. Why he would be willing to extend help towards her after the things she said, Rin didn't know, but it made her face burn even hotter.

"I don't need help from the likes of you!" she exclaimed as she slapped Len's hand away. Rin scrambled to her feet, narrowed her eyes at Len, turned back around, and ran towards the house without another word.

Blinded by rage and embarrassment, Rin barged into the house, entered the first room she saw, and locked the door behind her. With nobody to witness her weak state, Rin collapsed to the ground and began to sob. She bit her knuckle to keep her cries from becoming too loud, and the pain biting herself brought did much to ease her emotional hurt. It took a minute or so for Rin to calm down. The moment of weakness now over, Rin stood again to observe her surroundings.

Jaw dropping, Rin gasped at the sight of all the books lined along the walls, wrapping over all four corners and reaching from the floor to the ceiling. Spines the colors of the rainbow everywhere she looked. Unable to stop herself, Rin ran her fingers along the books as she circled the room. When she came to a stop, Rin pulled out a yellow novel with white letters that seemed to call out to her when her fingertips grazed its side.

" _The Closure of Yellow_ ," Rin read the title aloud. She opened it as if to read, but a cough in the middle of the room stole Rin's attention. "How long have you been here?" Rin asked, her cheeks turning pink.

Grandma Lenka, sitting in a dusty rose-colored chair with her feet lying on a similar colored footrest, smiled and answered, "The whole time, I'm afraid. I was in the middle of a nap when the sound of crying woke me up." Rin's blush deepened. "Before I could say anything," Grandma Lenka continued, "you were on your feet again as if nothing upset you in the first place. Then you began to take a fascination in my books, and I didn't have it in me to interrupt your dream walk. Sorry about that, dear."

"We don't have libraries in my world," was all Rin could think to say. Despite herself, Rin kneeled by Grandma Lenka's feet and asked, "Why are our worlds so different? Better yet, why do two separate worlds exist in the first place? Why are we divided if we're all a part of each other?"

Snorting, Grandma Lenka questioned, "Didn't that no good grandfather of yours teach you anything?" She didn't give Rin a chance to respond before saying, "You're aware of the legend that claims in the beginning of time, mortals had four arms, four legs, two heads, and two hearts, right?"

Nodding, Rin replied, "I learned all about it in mythology class."

"Except these are no myths," Grandma Lenka said. "At the time, there was only one world, and all the people in it lived in peace. A people that were born two in one. Legend says that one of the heads and hearts contained magic and creativity, and the other intelligence and logic. Society grew and improved rapidly. Almost nothing was ever wrong.

"However, the gods feared the power of the mortals. If the mortals grew too powerful, what could stop them from overthrowing the gods? To keep the people from becoming too strong, the gods peeled the heads, hearts, arms, and legs apart until each soul was divided into two. With the people now divided, the gods did the one thing they could think of to best keep each person from ever being with his other half again."

Grandma Lenka didn't continue. When Rin realized that the elderly woman was waiting for Rin to finish, Rin quietly took what she knew and connected those last few dots. "Instead of placing these people on the other side of the world as legend says, they were placed in another world entirely with magical mirrors as the only portal."

"Exactly." Grandma Lenka nodded. "From what I understand, these new worlds were originally exact copies of the world when one soul had two hearts." Grandma Lenka closed her eyes and tilted her head downwards, as if the story made her sad to discuss. "This division created a lot of grief to those who were split. At first both sides worked to create a way to reunite with their other halves, and when that proved futile, the people of our world fought bloody wars over the technology they didn't know how to recreate until it was all destroyed. Wasn't there something similar in your world in the first century?"

"A plague killed lots of people for reasons that were never discovered." Rin shook her head. "Are you saying that when the people here killed each other, the people in my world began dropping dead for no reason?" Grandma Lenka nodded. "But that doesn't make sense," Rin argued.

"It makes all the sense," Grandma Lenka replied. "Remember, originally people had two hearts. The division not only separated art from science, but it also created male and female. That's why your, my, and Olivia's mirror images are male. Len is your opposite. Where you're so logical as to not believe in something as unbelievable as this world until seeing it, Len believed me right away. Part of his immediate belief could lie in the truth that he possesses magic, something nonexistent to one such as yourself. Yet at the same time, you are each other's lost halves. A soul in two hearts, to be precise. You two may bicker and fight now, but once you and he connect, life without the other would be impossible to imagine."

"I doubt it." Rin sighed and stood to her feet. "I'm going to my room, and I don't want to be disturbed."

As Rin put the novel she held the whole time back on the shelf and left the room, she halted when Grandma Lenka called her name. "Give Len a chance," she heard the woman practically plead. "Very few get the chance to meet their other half. Don't let this opportunity go to waste."

Without a word of response, Rin left the library and made her way to go upstairs. She was only three steps up when Olivia popped her head from behind the kitchen door and asked, "Hey, Rin, can you help me in the kitchen? I want to make a sandwich for Len since he's working so hard outside, but I can't reach the plates."

"Can't you use magic to levitate them towards you?" Rin asked, too tired to sound even the least bit snarky.

"That's not how magic works, Rin," Olivia answered. "I can't move things with my words, but I can create little illusions. 'Cept that won't help me get the plates."

Rin debated saying something mean enough to send Olivia away, but one look into the small girl's amber eyes, and Rin was immediately reminded of Oliver. _I wonder how he's been doing now that I'm gone. . . ._

"I'll help," Rin found herself saying before she knew that her mouth was open.

Olivia's eyes lit up. Smiling from ear to ear, she exclaimed, "Well, let's hurry! Len can come in at any moment!"

Despite herself, Rin laughed as she followed the child into the kitchen and not only grabbed a plate for her but also began chopping lettuce and tomatoes for the sandwich. "Len likes lots and lots of mustard," Olivia told Rin as she spread a massive amount on a single slice of bread.

"Funny, I like lots and lots of mustard, too," Rin replied. Realizing what she had said, Rin froze in place, knife held midair. It dawned on Rin that she truly enjoyed something as simple as making a sandwich with Olivia, but at the same time Rin felt an emotion she couldn't instantly place tugging at her heart. The moment reminded Rin of her and Oliver making a Mother's Day breakfast for their mom four years ago, making her heart yearn to live that moment again with her brother.

"Hey, are you okay?" Olivia asked when she noticed the stone still Rin.

"I'm fine," Rin answered, snapping out of her daze. She looked at the doorway to find Len standing behind it. Her mirror image was watching the moment, and he smiled as if pleased with what he found.

Returning her attention to slicing the tomatoes, Rin put her guard back up as she said, "I am perfectly fine."


	6. Chapter 6

The next morning, Rin did not cause any problems with refusals to wear the clothes Grandma Lenka left out for her or delays to show up on time for breakfast. After helping Olivia in the kitchen the previous afternoon, Rin locked herself in her room, left only to eat supper that evening, and went back to the bedroom to not be seen or heard for the rest of the night. All the while she neither spoke to Len nor acknowledged his presence.

"Go easy on her," Grandma Lenka advised when Len complained of Rin's finishing her dinner and going back to her room without being excused. "This is far more difficult for her than it is for you. I know she acts tough, but it's possibly all she can do to keep from falling apart in a place she should never be."

Even so, Len disliked Rin's cold attitude, and it came to his surprise that Rin came down for breakfast the next morning without having to be called. She seated herself at the table, thanked Grandma Lenka when the elderly woman placed a plate of eggs in front of the girl, and began to eat quietly. Try as he might, Len could not stop staring at her when she wasn't paying attention. Rin was like one of the old toys Len found in his grandmother's attic: he didn't know how she worked, but Len wanted to figure out what exactly it was that made Rin tick.

"Grandma Lenka," Olivia began, her words slow and softly spoken, "what if people visit and realize Rin can't do magic?"

Len froze, his fork midair. He hadn't thought about that, and based on the paling looks on Rin's and Grandma Lenka's faces, neither did they.

"Can everyone in this world do magic?" Rin asked. "How weird would it be if I said that I wasn't able to do anything magical?"

Wiping her mouth with a napkin, Grandma Lenka answered, "It would be weird, but not impossible. Tell me, is everyone in your world good with technology and complex math?"

"No, but it's pretty much considered a disability, truth be told."

"Well, it's the same here." Grandma Lenka took a sip of orange juice before continuing. "Those born without magic are incredibly rare, but since you and Len are supposed to be twins, I don't think anyone would question your lack of abilities when Len's are already so weak. However, that's no excuse to be ignorant of how the system works."

Rin's shoulders stiffened. Though she knew the type of answer she would receive, Rin still asked what Grandma Lenka meant.

"You need to be taught about this world," Grandma Lenka answered. She turned to Len and said, "Len, I need you to run by things with Rin."

Len opened his mouth to argue, but knowing that such a thing would be futile, he simply replied, "Fine. I mean, yes, ma'am." He saw Rin tense where she sat, clearly just as unhappy with the predicament as he.

"Very good." Done with the conversation, Grandma Lenka shifted her attention to Olivia. "Mind passing the biscuits, sweetheart?"

* * *

"You already saw spells in use when I fixed the cup you broke," Len began, he and Rin in Grandma Lenka's library now that both had finished breakfast. "Spells are basically that: We recite a poem, and there you go. However, this is a very limited system. They can't do too much beyond fixing broken items or healing minor ailments or bringing brooms to life for them to sweep the room for you."

Rin, lacking her usual hair clips, blew her bangs from her eyes and twisted the ring on her finger. Len didn't understand why she wore it constantly, and he decided against talking her out of putting it away while she was here. "Can we just get to the part where you're done explaining everything? I don't want to hear this," she said.

"Oh, now you're talking to me again?"

"Just shut up and continue."

Len narrowed his eyes at his mirror image. "The other types of magic we have here are singing and imagination. Singing enchantments are almost like spell casting as they requires spoken words, but they differ in usage. Spells are for inanimate objects while songs are for animals and people."

"Like mind control?" Rin asked, perking up slightly.

"Mind control?" Len furrowed his brows.

"Getting people to do whatever you want them to do."

"No, not like that at all," Len answered.

Slumping back into the chair, Rin grumbled. "Then what's the point?"

"To calm them." Len pinched the bridge of his nose and counted to ten. "Animals are naturally scared of humans, but we can sing enchantments to get them to trust us. Similarly, if a person is badly injured, singing will prompt them to fall into a deep sleep while a doctor takes care of their wounds."

"Are you done now?" Rin questioned as she stood to her feet and began circling the room. "I'm tired of hearing your boring explanation about magic."

"I still have one more topic to cover, and then I need to educate you about this world in general," Len replied.

"How about we don't and say we did?" Rin suggested as she studied the record player on a stand by the door.

Gritting his teeth, Len said, "It's important that you know this. If somebody catches on that you're not from this world-"

"That won't happen," Rin interrupted, her eyes still on the device. "Tell me, does everyone in this world believe my world exists?" At Len's lack of response, Rin made eye contact with him and said, "Let me guess, next to nobody has any idea that there really is another world on the other side of the mirror. Just as I have never heard anything about the Mirror World until my Grandpa Rinto mentioned it, you knew nothing about the Reflected World until your Grandma Lenka told you about it."

"That doesn't mean nobody knows the Reflected World exists," Len argued.

Rin threw her hands up in exasperation. "I don't believe this! How's someone supposed to figure out I'm not from this world if they don't know of any other world to pin me to?"

"Grandma Lenka knows," Len pointed out, "and there's still the matter of how she does. The fact that we can link our universes to a common legend means that there are plenty of people out there who know of the Reflected World even if they don't believe in it."

"I still say your teaching me about this world is pointless," Rin stated. "Who are we going to meet who will figure out I'm from the other world, anyway?" Eyes cast back to the record player, Rin studied it as she changed the subject. "I've never seen one of these in real life before. They've been outdated for over two hundred years."

"Really?" Len moved to stand besides Rin, too surprise by her comment to drive the conversation back. "This is a recent invention. These started selling, I don't know, a few years ago."

"It's weird," Rin mused. "My world is more advanced than yours, but mine would never have so many paintings and books like I see all over Grandma Lenka's home."

"I still don't know what you or Grandma Lenka mean by technology or your world being more advanced than ours," Len said, "but I don't know if I want to live there if creativity really is as unusual as you say it is."

"Hmmm," Rin hummed, not replying to the comment. "Other than magic and creativity, I'll be getting by fine enough, anyway. Your modern world is equivalent to my world's sixteenth century. I studied enough about the way of life at the time to wing living here."

"Wing?"

"Make it up as I go along." Rin, done studying the record player, walked towards the window. She took in the dirt road and the garden just two yards from the front door. Other than puffy clouds in the otherwise blue sky, there was nothing more to see.

Len looked between Rin and the object she was previously fascinated with before settling his eyes on her and saying, "That's the first conversation we had without either one of us snapping at the other."

"Don't get comfortable," Rin replied as she looked at Len from the side of her eyes. "I'm just too tired to put in the effort right now."

"Rin, don't you think we can try to be . . . ," Len said, trailing off.

Even without Len's finishing, Rin knew what the boy was going to ask. "We're not friends, nor will we ever be. I don't want anything to do with you or your world. Right now, I'm just counting down the days until I can get home and pretend that this is nothing more than a bad dream."

Taking a deep breath, Len simply said, "I hope you're not as cold to everyone from your world, because if so, you're going to wake up one day to find yourself all alone and completely unloved."

Silence lingered, as if Len was giving Rin an opportunity to reply. Rin said nothing, and soon the sound of Len's retreating footsteps followed by a door opening and closing echoed in the room. Now alone, Rin sighed and turned back around. "Who says that day hasn't already happened?" she mumbled to herself.

With nothing else to do, Rin browsed the library and ran her fingers along the book spines. As strange as it was, Rin found the sensation soul tingling. She had never been in the presence of so many books before, and not even one in Grandma Lenka's collection was a science or math textbook. Pulling out a book which title caught her interest, Rin sat on the couch, opened the hardback volume, and did the scariest thing she had ever done in her fourteen years of life: she read for enjoyment.

* * *

Sucked in was the only way to describe the sensation Rin felt as she turned the leaf pages. At first Rin struggled to imagine the characters, setting, and events that happened around them; but once she got the hang of it, Rin found herself flipping the pages and reading as if she couldn't get through the book fast enough. It was a strange thing to laugh and smile at words on a page, and stranger still was her eyes tearing up as horrible situations happened to the characters Rin was finding herself thinking of as real people.

It was the sound of loud, unfamiliar voices that yanked Rin out of her engrossed state. She looked at the clock and was surprised to discover that she had been reading for the past three hours and nearly finished the novel. Wiping tears from her eyes, Rin set down the book and moved to stand by the window.

Rin pulled back the curtains to find Len talking with two boys. "They can't be," Rin whispered. She unlatched the window and opened the glass door by a couple inches. Holding her breath, Rin listened in on the conversation.

"Yeah, my sisters and I are spending the summer with our grandma," Len said as he stabbed his thumb behind him, indicating the house. Rin felt oddly relieved to hear Len use the word sister in plural form. "I take it you're the neighbors she told me about," Len added.

"That depends: did she say only good things?" the boy with the turquoise hair asked, his grin evident even from a few feet away.

"Miku." Rin shifted her attention to the other boy, this one with hair the color of lemons. "Neru." Biting her lip, Rin tried to process seeing the mirror images of the very girls she saw shortly before falling into Grandpa Rinto's mirror. _Did they wonder what happened to me after dinner? Have they come back to Grandpa Rinto's house, asking if I was all right? What's Grandpa Rinto telling them?_ Swallowing a lump in her throat, Rin wondered, _How's Oliver doing without me there? Does he miss me?_

Thinking about how everyone in her world was doing without her, Rin missed hearing the conversation Len and the boys were having. She paid attention again just in time to hear Len invite the two inside for something to drink.

"Oh, no!" Rin shut the window and locked it. Twisting her ring fervently, Rin paced the room. She knew the boys were not going to be able to look at her and tell that she and Len were not really twins, but the fear of being discovered began to take over Rin now that such could have been a possibility.

"Rin!" Len called from the other side of the door, causing said girl to yelp.

"I mean, what do you want?" Rin shouted, pretending to be unaware of the sudden visitors.

"Mind coming out? We have guests."

Groaning, Rin complained, "Do I have to?"

"Please don't be in one of your moods," Len said, his tone tight. "Be the polite and pleasant Rin I know you're capable of being."

Rin snorted but said nothing. Approaching the door, Rin took a deep breath to steady herself and turned the knob. Despite Len and his sister and grandmother looking exactly like Rin herself and her brother and grandfather, respectively, it still threw Rin off how similar the boys were to their own mirror images.

"I'm Mikuo," Miku's mirror image said, bowing slightly. "This is my cousin, Nero."

"An honor to meet you." Neru's mirror image grinned, and instantly Rin knew that where Neru was shy and quiet, her mirror image would not be the same way. "How old are you?" he asked.

"I'm fourteen," Rin answered. Forcing the words out as if there would be consequences for not speaking them, she exclaimed, "Len and I are twins!"

Len's eyebrows rose up to the top of his forehead. He then narrowed his eyes and mouthed something to Rin, and even without understanding what he was trying to tell her, Rin got the message: _Calm down and don't act suspicious._

"Twins? That's cool," Mikuo said, either not picking up on Rin's nervous excitement or ignoring it entirely. To Nero, "Didn't you say you used to have an art class with a set of identical twins?"

Nodding, Nero replied, "Anon and Kanon. They were wonderful to spend time with, and both were incredibly proud to be twins."

"Ah, why do twins always have to make us non-multiples jealous?" Mikuo shook his head and returned his attention to Len. "Didn't you say you also have a little sister?"

"She's around here somewhere." Len furrowed his brows and looked up the stairs. "Rin, would you please see if Olivia is up in her room?"

"Notta prob," Rin said. At the sight of all three boys knitting their brows together, Rin nearly shouted, "I mean, I don't mind. No, yes! I mean, yes, I will see if Olivia is in her room." Practically running up the stairs, Rin felt her cheeks burn at such a stupid mistake. Though there was no doubt in Rin's mind that neither Mikuo nor Nero believed in the Reflected World, she would not be doing herself any favors by talking as if she was from it.

Upon seeing a room with the door wide open, Rin checked it first to find Olivia lying stomach on the floor as she, colored pencils in hand, occupied herself drawing on one of the many parchment papers surrounding her. The girl shot her head upright when Rin's approaching steps caused a creaking in the floorboards.

"There are guests downstairs," was all Rin said. When Olivia didn't move, Rin added, "Len wants you to meet them."

"Did he bring anyone else from the Reflected World here?" Olivia asked. Eyes lighting up, she nearly shouted, "Is my mirror image here?!"

"Shhh!" Rin snapped. "No, neighbors. From this world!"

"Oh." Olivia frowned, but she didn't seem too disappointed.

"Where's Grandma Lenka? I haven't seen her."

"Taking a nap. She always takes a nap at one."

 _Like Grandpa Rinto._ Shaking her head, Rin ordered, "Go downstairs. Remember, Len and I are twins; I'm your big sister."

"Okay." Olivia jumped to her feet and rushed past Rin before bouncing down the stairs.

For a moment Rin debated playing it safe by staying upstairs or going back down and acting as if Len and Olivia really were her siblings. It didn't take much thinking for Rin to decide that hanging around the others would probably cause less suspicion than hiding from everyone. Steeling herself, Rin descended the stairs to find Len, Olivia, and the boys standing in the kitchen.

"Isn't she the cutest thing?" Nero said as he bent down so that he and Olivia were eye level. "How old are you, Olivia?"

"Ten!" the girl said, beaming with pride. When she noticed Rin in the doorway, Olivia pointed at her and shouted, "She's my big sister!"

Rin wanted to slam the palm of her hand against her forehead, and she noticed Len biting the inside of his cheek as if he was keeping himself from doing the same.

"I see that," Nero replied. "Good looks must run in the family, huh?"

"I'm flattered," Len said, drawing the attention to himself, "but about something to drink-"

"Where are all the mirrors?" Mikuo asked, unknowingly cutting Len off. "Ms. Lenka usually has mirrors hanging all over the place. Why are they down?"

Thinking fast, Rin answered, "Olivia likes to play ball in the house-"

"How'd you know?!" Olivia exclaimed before remembering that, as her supposed big sister, Rin would know something like that. She quickly covered her mouth, hoping nobody heard her.

"-so Grandma Lenka had us take down all the mirrors so that they wouldn't get broken from a wild kick," Rin finished.

"What's with the 'us' line?" Len snorted, and it surprised Rin how Len's snort sounded identical to her own. "I don't recall you helping take down any of the mirrors."

"Shut up, Len," Rin replied.

"Don't tell me to shut up."

"Too late, I already did." It was to her relief that Mikuo now seemed more interested in the sibling argument rather than the absence of the mirrors. "You're so annoying," she added for good measure.

With how sharp the glare Len sent her was, Rin wondered if he believed she was being serious and not playing along to the sibling act. "Anyway," Len turned his attention back to the boys, "would you two like anything to drink?"

* * *

With how fond Grandpa Rinto was of Miku, it shouldn't have surprised Rin that Grandma Lenka would enjoy Mikuo so much she would, after waking up from her nap, invite him and Nero to stay for dinner. Yet somehow Rin was still surprised when Grandma Lenka gave the invitation. With how much Grandma Lenka stressed that nobody know where Rin's truly from, Rin would have thought that the woman would not have anybody within a hundred feet of the house whenever possible.

Seated next to Len on one side and Olivia on the other with Mikuo directly across from her, Rin focused all her attention on her dinner. Mikuo, similar to his counterpart, talked a lot, but Nero proved more talkative than his mirror image. Both boys asked about the Kagamine's lives, but only Len and Olivia could actually answer. The situation caused a squeezing feeling inside of Rin's chest. _One mistake, and that's it,_ she thought. _I'll never go home if I'm caught._

The squeezing feeling slowly went away the longer they ate. Len, and even Olivia, kept the conversation rolling with the boys, who didn't seem to think much of Rin's silence. Relief started to lift the weight from Rin's shoulders, but it didn't last long.

"So why are you here?" Mikuo asked.

Rin's heart skipped a beat. She knew that the question asked why the Kagamine children were spending the summer with their grandmother, but to Rin the words sounded accusing.

"Family issues," Len answered. Rin thought that he was going to stop there, but instead he continued with, "Our mom's company recently merged with another. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, except that there are now too many employees. Mom's new boss does like her, but she still feels the need to work extra this summer to prove her worth. Not to mention the financial struggles lately, so sending us away is making things easier for our parents even if they really didn't want to."

Feeling her heart drop to her stomach, Rin had to force herself to keep eating despite the loss of appetite. In that moment, memories started clicking as Rin made connections she should have known but didn't think about them until now. Her dad, who normally cared nothing for appearances, wanted to make a good impression of his family to his new boss. Her mom, who got her hair and nails done every other week, had not gone to the beauty parlor in months and had even began shopping at a discount grocery store. They were preparing for a storm they didn't know whether or not was coming, and sending Rin and Oliver to Grandpa Rinto's now seemed more to Rin than what she originally thought.

 _Making Daina cry really was a horrible thing to do,_ Rin realized. All Rin wanted to do was give the girl reason to leave Rin and Gumi alone, but putting the event into a different perspective made Rin feel shame for the incident for the first time. She had been so focused on herself, Rin never took the time to wonder how her actions affected others.

"Hey, Rin, are you okay?" Nero asked. "You look a little upset."

With all eyes on her now, Rin felt her cheeks burn as she answered, "Mind your own business."

"Rin." Len hissed her name as a warning.

"Sorry," Rin said, though the apology sounded forced. "Just feeling clipped."

"Clipped?" Nero rose an eyebrow, and Mikuo also appeared confused. Even Len could not hide his puzzlement at the choice of wording.

Wiping her mouth with a napkin, Rin stood upright, said, "I'm going to bed," and left the dining room. She heard Len trying to call after her only to have Grandma Lenka tell him to leave Rin alone.

By the time she made it to her room, Rin fought off the tears that threatened to fall. She twisted her ring so forcefully it hurt her finger. Her shoulders shook and her lungs felt constricted. Nausea rocked inside her stomach. A cold sweat broke out on her forehead. Frustration flooded inside of her like a breaking dam that was only minutes away from completely giving in. It had only been two days since Rin came to the Mirror World, and she was already positive she could not remain here any longer.

Thinking nothing through, Rin opened the window, climbed through it, and used the tree branches beside the house to scale to the ground. The instant her feet touched the earth, Rin ran as fast as her long, lanky legs could carry her. There was no destination in mind. She simply had to vent the nervous energy and get it out of her system, and running blindly through the night was how she did it.

Minutes passed before Rin, exhausted from the strain of running so fast for so long, took in her new surroundings. Without knowing it, Rin took the path to the town. It was set up similarly to the town in the Reflected World, but at the same time, it seemed so different.

Rin walked into the heart of the town and took all she could in. At first glance, the only difference was that there were horse drawn carriages instead of hover taxis. The bakery was where it was in her world, and so was everything else. Seeing this, Rin marched towards what was the computer store in her world. What she expected to find, Rin didn't know, but it certainly wasn't a music store.

She walked into the store to find pianos, violins, and many more instruments dotting the inside of the building. Guitars hung on the walls, and the wallpaper appeared to be made of music sheets. It was enough for Rin to drop her jaw.

"May I help you?" the voice of a young man asked.

Tearing away from the musical devices, Rin looked at the pink-haired man with the lime green eyes. "May I play one of the pianos?" was how Rin answered.

"Go ahead." The boy, called Yuma according to his nametag, smiled in a way so friendly that it made Rin want to cry.

As if scared, she approached the pianos and ran her fingers along the black and white keys. Rin studied each one before she settled on an older model with chipped edges. Slowly she sat down, and as she feathered her fingers on top of the keys, Rin began to press them as she settled into a rhythm.

Nobody, not even her best friend, knew that Rin could play the piano. She had spent the past year learning in secret, unable to admit this talent to anyone she knew. In the Reflected World, music was to be studied, and the piano was nothing more than a device used to measure sound. Yet there were those few individuals who found enjoyment in music, and Rin was one of them. She played to express the emotions she didn't know how to deal with otherwise. Even now, playing a song she created months ago, Rin felt everything falling away only to come crashing back down when the final note echoed in the store.

It wasn't until a hot tear landed on the back of Rin's hand that she realized she was crying. She didn't wipe her eyes. Rin let the tears fall and allowed the feelings she had been pushing aside to finally burst through.

"That was beautiful," Yuma said after a moment. Noticing Rin's tear-stained cheeks, he asked, "Is everything all right, miss?"

Rin answered in no more than a whisper. "No. I want . . . I want to go home."


	7. Chapter 7

Exhausted both physically and emotionally, Rin climbed up the tree and back into her room. It was as she was shutting the window she heard Len's voice ask, "Where were you? Do you have any idea how worried I've been? Ten more minutes, and I would've told Grandma Lenka that you were gone."

"I didn't tell you to wait up for me," Rin answered. She turned around to find Len sitting on her bed. The knit brows and flaring nostrils told Rin that Len wanted to yell at her, but he must have seen how tear stained Rin's cheeks were, for his features softened.

"Are you okay, Rin?"

"No, I'm not." Rin shook her head. Not fighting off her raging emotions, Rin burst into tears, the dam finally broken. "I want to go home. The last thing I ever told my parents was that I never wanted to see them again. I told Grandpa Rinto he was crazy, and I've been horrible to strangers who did nothing but be nice to me and try to be my friends. What if you can't open the portal again, Len? What if I'm stuck here forever, and my last words to everyone in my world were cruel and upsetting?"

At this point, Rin covered her face with her hands and let it go. She cried hard and almost loud enough to be heard from the other rooms. Her eyes burned, her shoulders shook, and the lump in her throat made breathing difficult. On and on she wept, but her sobbing halted with a hiccup when arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her against a warm body.

Rin gasped as Len rested his chin on her shoulder and rubbed small circles on her back. "Don't hold back," he said, his voice muffled. "Cry until you feel better."

Normally Rin would have pushed anyone away with the claim that she never cried, but now she wanted nothing more than to be held while she allowed herself to fall apart. Rin buried her face into Len's shoulder, wrapped her arms around him in return, and cried for what felt like hours as her sobs were muffled by the crook of Len's neck. It felt good to let it all out. When she had finished, Rin broke away, wiped her eyes, and said, "I'm sorry. For everything. I've been nothing more than a real jerk."

"It's not completely your fault." Len sighed and stepped away to distance himself from Rin. "I should've known better than to try opening a portal. You never should've been brought here. If I'm being fair, I can't say I'd be the most pleasant person either if I was ripped from my world and thrown into one I knew nothing about."

"That doesn't give me an excuse." Rin moved so that she now sat on her bed.

Following her actions, Len took his place next to Rin and said, "You said that if you wanted something, all you had to do was ask and it was yours. Was that true?"

Rin nodded. "We're pretty wealthy, so there are very few things my parents would refuse to buy for me."

"I see." Len clenched his fists and studied his knuckles. "We're opposites, then. My family's poor. Always have been. I had to work for everything I wanted, and even then I sometimes had to sacrifice my wants for our needs."

"I'm sorry," Rin whispered, not knowing what else to say.

"Don't be," Len replied. "A lot of who we are is based on how we're raised, right? If so, growing up in poverty has made me appreciative of the people I love and what few things I do have. If we're really the same person and I had grown up with your privileges . . ." Len didn't finish the sentence as he chose to instead leave the words hanging in the air.

Rin snorted. "Gee, thanks."

"I'm sorry."

For the next few minutes, neither spoke. Len continued to study his knuckles, and Rin studied him. Every little feature mirrored her own from the same blonde hair and blue eyes to the faded freckle by the lower corner of their lip. Even the tiny scar on her middle finger - from carelessly using a knife when she was six - was present on Len.

"How are we so alike but so different?" Rin quietly asked, the question more for herself than for Len.

"It's our destinies that are parallel, not every little thing in our lives, or at least that's what Grandma Lenka says," Len answered, the words distant as if he was reminding himself and not informing Rin. "When we're born, where we live, every big change in our lives, our best friends, whom we marry, and when we die are all things we will share no matter what. Everything else - how we're raised, what we value, who we want to be - is unique to us individually. We're the same person, but we still have potential to be somebody else entirely."

"Like if I was raised in poverty, I'd be as nice as you?" Rin questioned.

Chuckling, Len replied, "Yeah, I suppose. Everyone has potential to be someone different, but it all depends on many, many contributing factors."

"In my world, we call that nature versus nurture," Rin said. "The study is performed on identical twins all the time, so I guess our differences make sense after all." Len said nothing. He simply nodded. Taking a deep breath, Rin said, "I know I said we will never be friends, but maybe . . . I don't know, maybe we can try? I won't be going home for a while, so might as well learn to enjoy the company I'm stuck with."

"Might as well." Len smiled. "I'm really, really sorry for bringing you here. I wish I could go back in time and stop myself from opening the portal."

"It's okay. I miss my family and my home a lot, but now I'm finally understanding how much they really mean to me." Rin sighed. "I have a lot to learn before I go home."

"Learning means nothing if you don't apply any of it." Standing upright, Len said, "I should let you go to bed now. Good night, Rin."

"Good night, Len." As she watched the bedroom door close behind her mirror image, Rin couldn't fight back the smile forming on her face. She felt homesick beyond what a person should ever experience, but she was glad to have a friend to help her get through it.

* * *

"Grandma Lenka seemed to be in a good mood this morning," Rin, walking along the dirt road, noted as she studied the list in her hands. "I'm surprised she sent you and me to run errands as if it is the most natural thing in the world. Do you have any idea what she's thinking?"

"Well, we actually got along at breakfast this morning, even if we still annoyed the other," Len said as he journeyed beside Rin. "I'm sure she knows that we're trying to be friends now and thinks sending us to run errands together will help us learn to like each other more."

"She's quite trusting." Rin hummed to herself before continuing, "If we decided to kill each other, there's nobody here to stop us. Grandma Lenka must have a lot of faith we won't argue that badly while we're gone."

"Let's not put her faith to shame then." Len stretched out his hand, asking without words for the list. After Rin handed it to him, he studied the items he and Rin were sent out to get. "I wonder if she plans on making anything special today," Len said as he folded the list and placed it into his pocket.

"You know, I find it strange that you need to go grocery shopping almost every day," Rin said as she kicked a rock in her path.

"People in your world don't go shopping daily?"

"No need. We have refrigerators to keep our food from spoiling."

Len scrunched up his face. "Refrigerator?"

"Ice box?" Rin tried, but Len didn't appear any less confused. "Refrigerators keep things like milk and produce from spoiling too quickly. Just trust me on that."

"As weird as your world sounds, I would like to see it for myself." Len smiled at the sun. "Where you come from sounds centuries ahead of this world."

"That doesn't mean it's necessarily better." Rin hugged herself. "Nobody thinks highly of creative people. Unless it advances technology and by consequence the daily living of those in our world, nobody cares about your latest innovation. Being able to draw, sing, and play an instrument are looked down upon above all else. It's always math this and science that, and I hate it." When Len started chuckling, Rin glared at him and exclaimed, "It's not funny! I can't tell anyone about the music I always listen to because they will genuinely believe that something is wrong with me. It's not healthy or right for someone to be listening to music as much as I do."

"It's not that," Len assured her as he shook his head. "It's just that in this world, things are more or less the opposite. I love math and science more than poetry and painting, but I have yet to meet anyone who shares my passions. Nobody cares about numbers and how things work. Well, or so it feels that way."

Rin giggled before saying, "It seems that we were born in the wrong worlds, then."

"Maybe so, Rin," Len replied as he saw the town come into view. "Maybe so."

"Hey, Kagamine!"

"Hey yourself, Hatsune." Len smiled as the tealet and his cousin ran up from behind towards Rin and him. "The other one," Len added, nodding his head towards Nero.

"I am insulted," Nero said, placing a hand over his heart and wearing a hurt expression. "Have I any friends?"

"Nah." Mikuo shrugged and gave Nero a half smile. "Nobody likes you." Nero mocked being in further emotional pain.

"You two are being unnecessarily rude," Rin said as she placed her hands on her hips and moved to stand beside the dirty blonde. "I, for one, like Nero."

"So I have a friend after all!" Nero threw his arms around Rin and pulled her close. When she cried out in surprise, Nero pushed her away as if she burned him and muttered rapidly, "Sorry, Rin. I wasn't thinking. Please don't be mad."

Glaring at the boy, Rin took two steps towards him so that they were standing with their noses just inches apart. Rin pulled the corners of her lips down to a sneer. When she growled in her throat, Nero squeezed his eyes shut in preparation for whatever verbal abuse Rin had in store for him. She surprised him by saying, "Is that how you treat a friend?"

Before Nero could open his eyes, Rin reached out and caught him in a choke hold. Len and Mikuo were about to rush forward to rip Rin off Nero, but they stopped where they stood when they saw Rin laughing as she rubbed her fist against Nero's head. "I got you!" she sang as she refused to let Nero escape.

"Okay, I get it. Let me go. Let me go!" Nero sounded to be laughing harder than she was. He eventually wiggled his way out of her grasp and ran a few feet away from her. When he got a hold of himself, he looked to Len and asked, "What happened to your sister? This isn't the Rin I remember meeting."

Her light demeanor falling, Rin curled into herself and pressed her trembling hands against her chest. "I'm really sorry for being such a brat," she told the boys, refusing to look either of them in the eyes. "I've been really homesick, and for some stupid reason I decided to take it out on you and everyone else around me. It was never right of me, and it's not fair to you. Could you ever forgive me?"

Mikuo and Nero stared at Rin, their eyes wide. Even Len rose an eyebrow, suggesting that even though he was aware of Rin's change of heart, the last thing he expected was for her to apologize to Mikuo and Nero. The silence lingered for so long that Rin misinterpreted it.

"I don't blame either of you." She sighed. "Maybe one day you will be able to think of me somewhat nicely, but it's okay if for now you can just barely tolerate me."

"What are you saying?" Nero grinned. "Of course we forgive you! We're just a little . . . surprised is all. I mean, the turnaround was a little unexpected."

Screwing up her face, Rin crossed her arms and said, "Look, buddy, I think later is better than not at all, so shut your trap and just accept the stupid apology if you really mean it."

Mikuo laughed. "You know, Rin, you are full of surprises."

Again the hardened expression dropped as Rin allowed a big smile to grow across her face. "I got to keep you boys on your toes one way or another."

"Anyway," Len said, speaking for the first time since Rin began participating in the overall conversation, "Grandma Lenka gave Rin and me a list of errands to do. Care to join us?"

"Of course." Nero flashed another toothy grin. "Anything's better than following this moron all day."

Mikuo stared Nero directly in the eyes. "You begged me to come with you so that you wouldn't be out in town by yourself."

"But now we're out with a purpose." Nero pointed in the direction of the town. "Forward march!"

The boys immediately dived into conversation, and Rin listened as she followed behind. Seeing how well Len got along with Mikuo and Nero made her wonder how well she would have gotten along with Miku and Neru had she given them a chance. Just the mere thought alone made more guilt rise up inside of Rin. She could apologize to their counterparts as much as she liked, but only apologizing to Miku and Neru themselves would right the ways she had wronged them.

"Are you okay?" Nero, who had trailed behind somewhat, asked as he now walked side-by-side with Rin. "You look depressed."

"I feel really guilty is all," Rin answered.

"I meant it when I said that I forgive you."

"And I believe you, but all that guilt doesn't just go away." Rin chewed on her lower lip. "It's worse when . . . Never mind. You wouldn't understand."

Nero hummed for half a moment before he replied, "I don't know. You'll have to try me. How can I know whether or not I'll understand if I don't know what it is I might or might not understand?"

Snorting, Rin asked, "Was that supposed to make any sense?"

"Did you understand what I asked?"

"Yes and no."

"Then yes and no," Nero answered. Rin laughed.

Her features melting back to those of seriousness, Rin said slowly, "I feel like I- Well, I know I hurt some people. I said a lot of really hurtful things to people I love and care about. What I feel is that I might never get the chance to say I'm sorry. That's the worst thing imaginable, isn't it? Saying cruel things to someone you love and having those words be the last thing you ever say to them? How can you live with yourself if that's the case?" At Nero's hesitation to answer, Rin added, "I'm sorry. I knew you wouldn't understand."

"No." Nero shook his head. "Believe me, Rin, I understand exactly what you're trying to tell me."

Before Rin could ask Nero to explain, Mikuo ran up to them and said, "Hey, Len and I were thinking of going to the music store. Len says he and Rin haven't seen it yet."

"That's a great idea! I haven't been by yet, either," Nero exclaimed while Rin, her heart sinking, thought, _I was just there last night. What if someone recognizes me?_

Ignorant to the worried expression Rin wore, Mikuo jogged back to Len and said, "Follow me, my fellow humans."

Nero walked fast enough to catch back up with the boys, and Rin only sped up to keep pace with her companions. Twisting the ring on her finger, Rin thought about all the wrong ways this visit could go. Next to no thinking had to be done for Rin to know that this trip was Len's idea – she had just told him how much she loved music. The problem was she could think of no way to get out of this little field trip without arising any suspicion in her counterpart.

Rin shook her head at herself. _What are the odds the same employee will be there? Maybe no one there will remember me from last night. I'm most likely having anxiety over nothing._

When they arrived, both Len and Nero began exploring as they wore wide smiles on their faces. Rin, on the other hand, merely lingered beside Mikuo. Her eyes scanned the store for any familiar faces, but there was no one else in sight.

"What?" Mikuo asked when he saw Rin standing in place. "Don't you want to look around?"

Thinking up a lie fast, Rin answered, "I can't look without wanting. If I look around and fall in love with a piano or something, it's going to sadden me for the rest of the day."

Mikuo laughed. "That's how I feel every time I visit Mr. Rei's bakery. He's generous with free samples, but there are just some breads too rich or cakes too pretty to touch, and it hurts my soul every time I see a baked good I can only dream of tasting."

Smiling, Rin said, "Conveniently enough, Grandma Lenka sent Len and me to pick up some rolls for the soup she's making for dinner tonight. Of course you and Nero are more than welcome to join us."

"We would join you two whether or not we had an invitation." Mikuo laughed again.

"Hey, you're the girl from last night," said the store employee from last night, Yuma, who reappeared while Rin was talking to Mikuo. Unaware of Rin's freezing frame, he asked, "Would you mind playing and singing your song again? I hope listening to it a second time will help me commit it to memory."

"You've been here before, Rin?" Len asked, brows pinched together.

"Last night," was all Rin answered. Len was smart enough to figure when last night without her having to tell him.

"You don't mind, do you?" Yuma help up his palms in some type of surrender. "I don't want to ask you of anything that would make you feel uncomfortable."

"You might not, but I do." Nero walked up to Rin and threw an arm over her shoulders. This time she didn't react as strongly, although she did flinch at the casual contact. "Why don't you play and sing for your new best friend? I'll buy you a cookie if you do."

Rin didn't have to think about it – she did not want to play and sing for anyone. However, she could think of no reason not to. Not that she needed a reason because she did not doubt that Len would back her up had she said she would not sing. Yet at the same time, Rin wanted this. For so long she had wanted someone to understand her passion for music, and now she was surrounded by a world of people who praised her loves and passions. As embarrassed as she was to sing in a music store with four close audience members, it was not as strong as her desire to connect with others who would accept her regardless of her talent may be.

"Fine, I'll play," she told them all, forcing her chin upwards to appear confident in her musical abilities, "but I'm only going as far as one verse."

"In that case, I'll buy you half a cookie," Nero joked as he lead her to the back of the store. "The pianos are over here, right?"

Knowing exactly where she was going, Rin broke away from the boy and set herself at the piano she played the night before. Slim fingers resting on the keys, Rin took a deep breath and pressed into the pieces ever so slightly. Music filled the store and echoed off the walls. It wasn't long before Rin's birdlike voice followed. She placed aside all shame and sang from her heart. If anyone could ever understand her, it was these people. If anyone would be proud of the song she carried in her soul, it would be these people. Perhaps she would never belong in this world, but for the moment, she could pretend that she did.

 _I close my eyes and feel on my face_

 _Sunlight warming me with its sweet embrace._

 _I sit alone under the sun_

 _And wonder where all my joy has gone._

 _The pains of getting older_

 _Are hidden behind my acting bolder,_

 _As I go through another day,_

 _I realize the rainclouds are here to stay._

As the last note from both the piano and her voice faded in the entranced air, it was if Rin was reentering the world around her. Yuma smiled at her, seemingly happy to hear part of the song for a second time. Mikuo gave her a thumbs up while Nero put all of his efforts into a one man applause. Finally, Rin looked at Len to see his reaction. His jaw hung open as if her talents went above and beyond what he expected the most from his mirror self. Surprise soon melted from disbelief to pride as a smile spread across his face and he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"There isn't a single person alive whose talent can compete with my twin's," he said, giving Rin's shoulder a slight squeeze.

Rin couldn't explain why, but his compliment made her cheeks burn as her chest suddenly felt very warm.

* * *

Wanting to put aside the moment in the music store, Rin convinced the boys to drop the subject as they went on their way to Rei's bakery. They only half listened. Mikuo and Nero kept implying how Rin would easily win the talent show in the winter festival, and through this they also implied their desire for the twins to visit even after summer had come to its end.

"It would be a shame to make such amazing friends only to never see them again after summer break," Mikuo was saying.

"And if you decide to compete in the winter festival, Rin," Nero added, "you'll have to come back!"

"That's very nice of you two to say," Rin said, staring at her shoes as she walked as if she needed to watch where she was stepping, "but I don't want to make promises I can't keep. It wasn't even my idea to come here anyway"- Len nervously pulled the collar of his shirt away from his neck –"and I don't know if I would have the power to come back no matter how much I want to."

"Would you want to come back again after you go back home?" Nero asked. "One summer is so short compared to the rest of the year."

His question forced Rin to truly think about the world she was in. Now that her initial anger had faded and she accepted her being homesick, she was able to think the answer through clearly. Her desire to go home was something that had not changed, but to never see her new friends or Len again . . . Rin gulped. That was something she did not want to think about, thus she answered, "I'll see what I can do."

"Then make sure you do all that you can do." Nero grinned. "Don't get my hopes up for nothing."

Len shot Rin a look through the corner of his eye. It was as if he was warning her about getting anyone's hopes up about her coming back, and that was with the worry of being able to send her back home to her own world in the first place. As great as it would be for Rin to go home, there needed to be no false hope in the chance she could ever visit again.

When the four of them entered the bakery, Mikuo and Len approached the counter while Nero pulled Rin to the side. As the other two spoke with Mr. Rei, Nero asked Rin, "Is everything really okay with you? Your behavior before wasn't the best, but I chose to look past it. Then you sang that song, and it was . . . so sad. I can't stop thinking there's more going on than what you show."

Rin rose an eyebrow. "And your basing all of that off a song I sang?"

"Well . . . Yeah, I am."

"Who says I wrote the song?"

"Nobody. I'm just commenting that it was an interesting choice to sing." The corners of his lips curling upwards, Nero teased, "Did you write the song?"

Looking away as her cheeks ignited with fire, Rin mumbled, "Maybe."

Nero laughed but immediately returned his focus on the topic. "Are you all right? Look, if there's anything I can do to help-"

"I'm fine," Rin answered, interrupting Nero. "Okay, I'm not doing the best, and especially not lately, but I really am fine."

"Hey," Mikuo cut in from across the room, "Mr. Rei is offering us muffins. Y'all want one?"

"No, thanks," Nero replied while Rin shook her head.

With a shrug, Mikuo said, "Suit yourself," and took a muffin. Len followed Mikuo's last action.

After a moment to make sure the others would not look back at the two of them, Nero returned his attention to Rin. "How are you handling all of it?" He looked Rin over as if searching for any nonverbal answer which would never be discovered otherwise.

Shrugging, Rin answered, "I think I'm starting to get a grip on things. And by 'starting,' I mean as recent as last night."

Nero nodded. "All right, I'll take your word for it, but Rin, if you ever need anything, just ask. We _are_ friends, aren't we?"

"Yes," Rin said the word slowly, wondering where Nero was going with this. "I would say we are friends."

"Then don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it. After all," Nero grinned another one of his goofy grins, "that's what friends are for."

"Thank you, Nero." Rin smiled. "You don't know how much that means to me."

A returning smile was growing on Nero's face when suddenly Rin gasped and her hands flew to her throat. Without warning, she felt she had lost the ability to breathe. She had felt this feeling only once before, when she was seven. When she accidentally ate nuts. Yet she hadn't eaten anything.

But Len did.

Snapping her head around, she saw Len reacting the same way she was, his muffin now a crumbly mess on the wooden floors. His cheeks were swelling up, and tears were streaming down his face. He was allergic, too, and they really must have been connected as Grandma Lenka had said if Rin was having the same reaction without having consumed nuts herself.

Mikuo looked lost, as if he wasn't sure he was really seeing what was before him. He stood, stricken useless. The same could be said of Mr. Rei, who was clearly oblivious to Len's allergy.

"Rin," Nero whipped Rin around so that she was facing him again, "what's wrong?" He looked over her with concern etched into his eyes. "What's happening to you and Len?"

"Nuts," Rin said, the words barely audible through her closing throat. "Len and I are severely allergic." Without giving it a single thought, Rin yanked off her ring and pulled out the jewel. Pink liquid sloshed from the inside. "Inject this into Len," she told Nero. "Make sure you hit a vein. Doesn't matter where. Just do it now!"

For Rin, there was no way of knowing if giving Len the medicine would cure them both. He was the one who ate the nuts, so it made sense for him to get the injection instead of her. All Rin could do was hope that if Len stopped reacting, so would she. There was only one way to find out, but she did not dare risk approaching the muffin thrown onto the ground and thus igniting her own allergies.

Confusion flickered across Nero's face – medicine such as Rin's must not have existed in this world. However, he did not wait for Rin to say another word. He took the jewel and dashed towards Len. Pushing aside Len's blond hair, Nero found a vein and stuck the needle of the jewel into Len's neck. The liquid went into Len's bloodstream on its own, leaving the "pink jewel" as nothing more than empty glass.

Pulling the small thing out of Len's neck and stepping away, Nero stared at Len to see if the boy would return to normal. When Len started breathing normally again, his swelling going down, Nero turned his attention to Rin to see if she was recovering, too. She was.

"Let's get out of here, fast," Rin said, her voice sounding a little hoarse.

Nero nodded to indicate that he understood. Turning to Mikuo, he yelled, "Snap out of it! We need to get the twins away from the nuts."

After the two were lead out of the bakery, Mr. Rei came out, apologized again and again for giving Len the muffin, and promised to never have nuts out in the open again. When Rin and Len got what Grandma Lenka wanted from the bakery, he did not charge them. "As a way to say 'sorry,'" he told the children. Neither felt well enough to argue. If Grandma Lenka insisted they pay for the loaves, she would march to the bakery herself and refuse to leave until Mr. Rei accepted the money whether he liked it or not.

When the two deemed themselves well enough to go home, they talked Mikuo and Nero out of walking them back. "You did enough," Rin assured Nero. "We just . . . want to be alone for a little while." Before Nero could protest, she added, "You can stop by later, if that will make you feel better. You were invited to dinner, after all."

"It would, actually," Nero replied. "We will be there in an hour. Not a minute more. Got it?"

"Understood." Rin shook her head as she and Len walked away from the boys, a small smile placed on her face.

"I think he might like you," Len said as they traveled down the road. It was the first time he had spoken to her since they entered the bakery.

"I don't agree with you," Rin replied. "I'm stubborn, rude, and annoying. Why would he like me?"

"I don't know. Maybe stubborn, rude, and annoying is his type." Len laughed as Rin punched him in the shoulder. His laughter fading, he said, "Thank you for what you did back there. I know you gave Nero whatever it was that stopped my reaction. It . . . You saved my life, Rin."

"I saved both our lives," Rin corrected. She felt her finger where her ring had been and mourned its absence. Without it, she almost felt as if she were walking around unclothed. "I was reacting, too, and you know I didn't have a muffin." Len didn't reply, so Rin added, "Even if that weren't the case, I still would have asked Nero to give you the injection. I doubt I could bear to watch you die in front of me."

"Maybe that means you're finally warming up to me." Len chuckled. "Maybe we really can be friends after all."

"Yeah," Rin said, her cheeks warming up again. "Maybe."


	8. Chapter 8

Neither Rin nor Len knew how Grandma Lenka would react to Rin's Reflected World medicine saving Len in front of Mikuo and Nero, so both had decided to keep quiet about the event. However, that plan quickly fell apart when Olivia asked Rin where her ring was and Rin failed to give a convincing answer – "Oh, uh, I don't know. I think it fell off when Len and I walked down the road. Sucks to lose it."

It was enough for Grandma Lenka to narrow her eyes at Rin, as if the truth would be written on Rin's face if she looked hard enough, but she did not say a word about it. What gave it all away was when Mikuo and Nero visited them exactly an hour later, just as Nero had promised, and asked how Len was doing. Since the person they met first and asked was Grandma Lenka, there was no more hiding what exactly had happened that afternoon.

"And why did you think hiding that little episode from me was a good idea?" Grandma Lenka asked after she sat the two down.

Rin fidgeted where she sat. It was like being sent to the principal's office all over again, a trip she never truly got used to. Although the threat of being expelled didn't loom over her, there was still no denying the dread of whatever punishment Grandma Lenka decided to place on Rin and Len as the consequence of their dishonesty.

"We, umm, didn't know how you'd react," was Len's quivering answer. It was his idea to not tell his grandmother, but he had to be the one to confess that much. No matter how badly she wanted to, Rin decided against ratting him out. Doing so would not ease her punishment; there was no point in straining things between her and Len unnecessarily.

"Next time something like this happens," Grandma Lenka went on to say, "tell me about it. We can't let anyone find out that Rin doesn't belong in this world. I can help you explain away anything that even breathes Rin might be from someplace else, but I can't do that if you leave me in the dark. Are we understood?"

"Yes, Grandma Lenka," Len said. Rin, too ashamed to speak, merely nodded.

Grandma Lenka sighed and ran her hand over her loose blonde and gray hair. "Has anyone asked how Rin's ring was able to cease Len's reaction?"

"No, they haven't." Rin almost mindlessly twirled the ring before she remembered that it was no longer on her finger. "I think they were too concerned about Len and me to even stop to think about how he suddenly felt better once the injection was given to him."

"Yet what if they do think about it later?" Grandma Lenka challenged. "If you were reacting too, Rin, then certainly someone must find it odd that you stopped having symptoms the same time Len did."

"Unlike Len, I didn't have a muffin. We can just tell anyone who asks that I was reacting to the nut particles in the air," Rin suggested. "I really can't be that close to nuts. Getting out of that environment helped me just as much as it helped Len."

Nodding approvingly, Grandma Lenka asked, "And what of the medicine that put a stop to Len's reaction?"

"I, uh . . . ," Len tried to answer, but his words died on his lips. "I don't know."

"See? This is exactly why you two can't put the weight off all this on yourselves." Grandma Lenka sighed. "I will have an answer for you two by morning. For now, you two will be responsible for tonight's and tomorrow's dishes. You also need to water the garden, dust the library and attic, and polish the windows after you clean the morning dishes. Are we understood."

"Yes, Grandma Lenka," Rin and Len said in unison.

"Good." Grandma Lenka rose from her chair. "After washing the supper dishes, you two may spend the rest of your evening as you please, but only as long as you stay indoors. Lights out at eight tonight."

"Yes, Grandma Lenka," the teens repeated.

After the elderly woman walked out of the room, Rin and Len gave each other a sideways glance, as if to say, "That didn't go half as bad as we expected." They didn't count themselves fortunate, however. Neither could afford to be careless. Yet Rin was not the least bit regretful.

"I don't care about being caught," she told Len. "Saving you was more important."

"We're not being punished for your saving me," Len replied. "We're being punished for trying to hide it."

"Still, isn't Grandma Lenka aware that you could have died today. That _we_ could have died today?"

"I'm sure she's well aware." Len stood to his feet. "However, that doesn't change that we lied to her. I think if we lied about something that wasn't life threatening, our punishment would be a lot worse than what we received."

Rin chewed her lower lip. "I was scared," she admitted. "I was scared then, but now I'm scared at the _what if_. What if you didn't bring me to this world and you still ate that muffin today? I wouldn't have been here to give you my medicine. You could have died." Rin hugged herself. "It wouldn't have mattered if I ate nuts or if I came into contact with someone who did – I was having an allergic reaction just because you were. If you died, I would have died. My medicine would not have helped me, or at least I don't believe it would have. I don't know, but I'm not willing to test that theory."

Sighing, Len sat next to Rin and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. He pulled her close as he said, "Don't worry about the _what ifs_. We're here now, and that's all that matters. You saved us both. Besides, I believe that everything happens for a reason. If we weren't meant to die today, we wouldn't have whether or not you were here to save me with that ring. Who knows? Maybe Mr. Rei wouldn't have offered us the muffins, or maybe he'd drop them before he could. As frustrating as it would be to waste food like that, it would nowhere be as frustrating as what happened today. Don't you think so?"

All Rin could do was shake her head, smile on her face. "I know worrying about it won't make any changes, but it is nice to hear you say that."

"Good, because I would hate to say things that you had no interest in hearing." Len got up again. "I'm going to get a head start on those dishes. Don't wait too long to join me, okay?"

"Don't worry, I won't," Rin said. "I tell you what: You wash, and I'll dry and put away. It won't matter how long it takes me to go to the kitchen because your job will be done when it's done. I don't ease or make heavy the burden."

"Sounds fair," Len replied as he left the parlor, "but don't wait too long. The chore would be dreadfully boring without your favorite person to keep you company."

Rin snorted at Len's retreating figure. She sat where she was for a couple of minutes after Len left, thinking about all that had happened between them by that point. Then she went to join him because as much as she didn't want to admit it aloud, Len was right about Rin's chore being boring if he wasn't there to keep her company.

* * *

The next few days were not as eventful as that day in the bakery. Olivia, upon hearing that Rin knew how to play the piano, begged the older girl to teach her. At first Rin refused but eventually caved when she realized Olivia had no plans to stop asking until either Rin went back to her world or stopped refusing to teach her. For an hour each evening, Rin would teach Olivia, who proved herself a quick learner.

After she had taught Olivia for the night, Rin would retire to the library. Len was often nowhere to be seen. When she asked where he was each night, he told her that he was studying a science book he found at the library before he was sent to live with Grandma Lenka for the summer. He claimed that the librarian said he could have it, and Len was careful to keep the biology book hidden away from his friends and family. Taking into consideration how Rin felt the need to hide her love of music from her own world, she did not judge Len the slightest.

Instead she would pick up a novel from Grandma Lenka's collection and flip through the pages, skimming the content until she grew bored of where the story started and where it was going. Eventually Rin stumbled across a novel not as worn as the others. It was a deep red all over, and the title, etched in gold, read _Blood Rose_.

Her skimming soon turned to devouring as she read about unlikely friends with opposing castes on another planet that was both as underdeveloped as Len's world yet as advanced as her own. The society of the world, complexity of the characters, and mess of a plot all had her intrigued. There were secrets Rin so desperately wanted to uncover, so each night after she had taught Olivia, Rin would retreat into the library and continue reading through the book, never able to read fast enough, to uncover those hidden secrets and find out what was going to happen next.

During one such night, she was startled when Len asked, "Mind if I join you?"

Hand placed over her heart, Rin exclaimed, "You scared me! Don't sneak up on me like that again, Len. And stop laughing! This isn't funny."

"I'm sorry," Len apologized after his laughter subsided, "but you don't know how funny your expression was."

Rin glared at Len. Instead of replying, she simply opened the book back up and started reading from the point Len scared her. When Len laughed again, she stared at him as she growled, "What's so funny now?"

"That book." Len pointed at the hardback. "That's my favorite book you're reading."

"Wait, really?" Rin flipped the book around and stared at the cover as the words _Len's favorite book_ were written on it and yet she somehow missed them. Smiling sheepishly, Rin looked back at Len and said, "Funny. I had recently decided that it's my favorite book, too."

"We really are the same person." Len walked into the library and scanned the shelves. "This is another one of my favorites. I highly recommend you read this one next."

Rin saw the book Len held was white with red and blue silhouetted profiles positioned like playing cards on the cover. Butterflies of both colors sliced diagonally across the image, and the tile _King of Hearts_ stood out with large, black letters. Based on aesthetics alone, it was already Rin's favorite book.

"Is it anything like this one?" Rin asked, holding up the book she already held.

Shaking his head, Len answered, "No, but it's got magic so that immediately makes it wonderful."

"Magic like yours?"

"Yes and no." Len sat in front of Rin. "I wish I was better at magic so that I could show you what the people here are really capable of. I'll have to ask Mikuo or Nero if either of them could show you some magic tricks."

"Is it normal for some people to not be as good at magic as others?" Rin questioned, cocking her head to the side.

"Yes." Len sat down and stretched out his legs in front of him. "One's magic ability is based on how creative they are. A musically talented person like you would have strong magical abilities."

"So you think Olivia might be capable of more magic than you when she's older?"

"It's very likely." Len shrugged before he continued. "My dad has hardly any magic at all, so there is a debate whether magic is hereditary or not. Of course, with very few science people out there, no one has really done any research. The pressure for language and art kind of puts out that flame of curiosity."

"Our worlds really do suffer with what they lack," Rin mumbled. "Not to be rude," she then said, "but may I please read now? I only have thirty pages left, and I have my heart on finishing the book before we have to go to bed."

Len merely laughed.

* * *

The next morning, Rin, Len, and Olivia tossed an old baseball Rin found in the attic while she and Len dusted it a week ago. Grandma Lenka had no chores for the children that day and had allowed them to spend it playing under the cheerful summer sky. Watching the three from her rocking chair on the porch, she kept herself occupied by cross stitching.

"What I don't understand" – Rin gently tossed the ball to Olivia – "is how sports aren't as big in this world. They're practically a thing of worship where I'm from. There are even announcers that dedicate their lives to analyzing and evaluating the skill of each individual player of their favorite team."

"You have to remember, Rin," Len caught the ball from Olivia and tossed it back to Rin, "that if we want to go see a game, we have to figure out when the next game is, know which city it well be held, travel to that city, and pay for tickets to go see it. We don't get the luxury of watching any sports from the comfort of our homes while the game plays on a flat rectangle hooked to our wall."

Rin thought about it as she tossed the ball, caught it, and tossed it again. "Okay," she finally said, "I see you have a point."

"But your world doesn't care that much about plays, do they?" Olivia asked as the ball was tossed to her. She missed it, so she had to run after the sphere as it rolled away. Rin couldn't help but smile.

"I guess you have me there," Rin answered as Olivia rejoined the circle, "but wouldn't you have to go through the same trouble to see a play as you would a game?"

Before either Len or Olivia could answer the question, Mikuo's voice shouted, "Hey, twins!"

"Hey, random boy!" Rin called back as she turned her attention to the approaching boys. "And his cousin!"

"Really, Rin?" Nero asked, feigning hurt. "'And his cousin'?"

Rin snorted. "Just be happy I didn't call you the annoying one."

"It's been a while since we've seen you two," Len said before Rin and Nero could get into another one of their little fights.

"Yeah, a solid day." Rin tossed the ball back to Olivia. "Len and I were starting to wonder if you didn't like us anymore."

"Anyway," Mikuo bounced on the balls of his feet, "you noticed how much it rained last night, right?"

"Noticed?" It was Len's turn to snort. "It was storming. I'm amazed it didn't flood."

"Oh, but it did." The eagerness on Mikuo's face was evident. "Nero and I have a secret area we like to hang out at, and whenever it rains heavy, the pit gets so muddy and slippery and it is hands down the best thing ever."

"Just like boys to love their mud," Rin muttered just as Olivia yelled, "Ew!"

"One," Nero held up his pointer finger to Rin, "that's gender stereotyping, and two, you've clearly never played mudball or else you wouldn't be saying that."

Furrowing his brows, Len mumbled, "I've never played mudball either, so I think I have to relate with Rin's confusion."

Mikuo gasped dramatically. "You've never played mudball? Ms. Lenka, we are kidnapping your grandchildren for the rest of the afternoon."

Without looking up from her cross stitch, Grandma Lenka replied, "Just have them back before dinner."

There was no need to tell Mikuo twice. He ran forward, grabbed Len's wrist, and began hauling the male Kagamine after him. "You get the girls!" he ordered Nero while Len protested being dragged in such a fashion.

"I don't want to play in the mud!" Olivia argued as Nero moved to stand with Rin and her.

"Then you can stay here with Grandma Lenka and play by yourself," Rin replied, darting forward to meet up with Nero. The two began to chat excitedly when Rin, hearing something, turned around. "Changed your mind?" she asked the youngest Kagamine.

"Playing in the mud is still gross," Olivia said, "but I never get to hang out with the big kids. If I get to go, then I'm going."

"You really are no different." Rin smiled, and Olivia returned the gesture. She knew whom Rin referred to, but Nero didn't.

"She's no different from who?" Nero asked. "You?"

Rin shrugged. "More or less." That much was true, after all.

"Rin's been teaching me to play the piano!" Olivia exclaimed, running up to walk side-by-side with Nero.

Laughing, Nero questioned, "Is that so?" and listened intently to everything Olivia wanted to tell him.

Thoughts kept to herself, Rin only half listened to Olivia and Nero's discussion as she took in the world around her.

Mikuo and Len walked ahead, Mikuo leading the way. The way the five of them were taking was in the opposite direction of the town. Minutes passed before the dirt road began to transition into a grass one, and a small forest came into view. As they entered it, Rin noticed all the trails and clearings scattered with families, couples, and painters – a park of some kind. All that was missing was a couple of joggers with ear phones in, and it would have been the perfect picture of a park from her world. Well, minus the seventeenth century attire of the people from the Mirror World.

Deeper and deeper into the forest they went. People began to vanish from sight, but since the five never strayed from the trail, Rin didn't worry about getting lost. The forest, as she entered it, didn't look too large anyway. If any of them got lost, it was highly unlikely that they would be missing for more than a few hours.

Soon a stream came into view. The current was so calm that ducks idly swim through the waters. When they got to where Mikuo was leading the group, Rin knew it immediately. There, just a few yards from the trail, was the pit Mikuo had talked about. It was a rich, dark color, indicating that the mud was as wet and thick as Mikuo had told Len it would be.

Rin curled and opened her fingers a few times. As silly as it was, she itched to play in it. Getting dirty was something she never would have willingly done before, yet now she couldn't wait to be completely covered in the mess. Something about living in the Mirror World began to change Rin, but the blonde only cared because she liked this change she was making. It was as if she was becoming a different person, a better person who wasn't afraid to live and have fun without fear of judgement.

"How do we play?" Len asked when they came to a stop.

"It's very easy." Mikuo began to do stretches. When Nero did the same, Rin decided to mimic the actions in case the competition was as serious as the boys were making it out to be. "Since there's more of us this time, we'll be in teams. Basically, the team that comes out the least dirty wins."

"So it's just a competition who came the other more dirty." Rin nodded, anticipation bubbling inside her chest. "I'm a really good wrestler. This should be easy."

"In that case, I want to be on Rin's team," Nero said. "I don't want her pushing me into the mud."

Snorting, Mikuo replied, "You would want to be on her team anyway. I know you don't have it in you to give her any reason to be mad at you. You like her too much."

"Maybe I just don't want Rin to brutally murder me," Nero said, looking away as his cheeks deepened in color.

"What about Olivia?" Len asked. "Whose team will she be on?"

"I would rather watch," Olivia said. She then smirked. "I want to judge the winner! Sounds better than getting all dirty for no reason."

"Whatever you want, Olivia." Rin pat the girl on the head before pulling her arm across her chest, feeling the stretch in her bicep. "Just don't wander anywhere we can't see you."

"So," Rin began as she mentally prepared to walk right into the pit, "what are the rules?"

"Believe it or not, but the only rule is no playing dirty. Pretty ironic, right?" Nero grinned. "My favorite method is picking up balls of mud to chunk at Mikuo, hence the name mudball, but wrestling is fine, too. Just no foul play – no biting, kicking, or headlocks. Think you got all that?"

"Well, there goes half my strategy." Rin pretended to snap her fingers in disappointment. Nero laughed in return.

When the game started, Nero and Mikuo were quick to attack. They threw handfuls of mud at each other, never caring if they hit their opponent on the body or the head. Rin wondered if there should have been a rule about throwing mud at the other's face. Trying to tackle his cousin, Nero slipped on the way and fell face first into the mud. Mikuo howled with laughter.

With the sudden recollection that she was playing too, Rin snapped her attention to the blond in front of her. Len chuckled as Nero tried to get back up and drag Mikuo into the mud only to slip again. The chuckling came to an abrupt end when Len remembered that he was not the only one in the pit with the boys. Eyes shifting slowly, Len saw Rin staring at him while she wore a large smile on her face. Len gulped.

Wasting no time, Rin lurched forward. She scooped up a handful of mud as she charged towards Len. All her mirror image could think to do was run away. If Len wanted to play defense, that was fine with Rin. She didn't care at all how dirty she was at the end of the game – she just wanted to smear a good handful of wet dirt all over Len's face.

"Get over here!" she exclaimed, careful to not slip as Nero had.

"I- I rather not!" Len shouted in turn. Terror and regret flashed behind his eyes. The other boys were left forgotten. Only Rin was there, and he had to get as far away from her as possible.

It was a game of cat and mouse: Rin would try to get as close as possible to Len to smear mud on him, and Len would keep his distance to the best of his abilities. Before long, Rin tired of chasing him. "Okay, Len," she panted, "you win. I'm not going to chase you anymore."

Raising an eyebrow, Len asked, "Do you mean it?"

"Of course." Rin made the crossing her heart motion. "I'm tired, and it doesn't appear likely that I'm going to be able to catch you."

The distrust didn't fade from Len's eyes. "Do you give me your word?"

"You have my word," Rin answered.

For a while, Len did nothing but watch Rin. Her shoulders heaved up and down as she tried to regain her breath. She made no move to start chasing him again. As confirmation to what Rin said was true, she closed her eyes and ran the back of her hand against her forehead, wiping away the sweat that had formed during their chase. Even if she was not serious, Rin really was worn out. If she was going to give chase again, it was not going to be any time soon.

"Okay, Rin." Len relaxed, his shoulders falling as he exhaled deeply. "No more running."

Rin giggled in relief. "That's nice to hear."

Before Len could process what was happening, a wad of mud smacked him in the face. Surprised, he looked to Rin to find her smiling triumphantly. Her arm fell to her side, and her muddy fingers gave everything away. In his moment of weakness, Rin had thrown the mud he forgot she was holding right at him.

"Okay," Len smirked, "now you asked for it."

This time, Len charged at Rin. "No!" she screamed, but she truly was too tired to run anymore. Too slow to escape the charging boy, Rin cried out in bursts of laughter as Len tackled her to the ground. Mud clung to her back and made a home in her hair. Her chest ached from laughing so hard.

"How do you like that?" Len too laughed uncontrollably. Consequently, his grip on Rin was not as strong as it could have been. He was totally defenseless against Rin's pushing him off her. "Hey!" he protested before he was the one lying in the mud while the other hovered over.

"You let your guard down," Rin said, her laughter now sounding like evil crackling. "Now I finally get my chance." Still laughing, Rin picked up another wad of mud and smeared it across Len's face. Despite his protests, Len didn't try too hard to fight it. He merely accepted his fate, even if not gracefully.

When she was done decorating Len's face, Rin got off the boy and laughed at how Len looked. Appearing grumpy, Len sat up and ran a hand over his face. He slung the mud back at Rin, who shouted in protest. The two stared at each other before laughing again.

Looking over their shoulders, Rin and Len asked in sync, "Olivia, who won?"

The girl could only laugh and shake her head. "You two are weird," was her only answer.

"I'll take that as a compliment," Rin said, her laughter finally dying down.

"Rin . . . ," Len trailed off before trying again. "Things are a lot more fun with you around."

A response was on her lips, but it was clipped before it could be spoken. Instead Rin cried out in pain. Clutching her arm, Rin shouted, "It hurts! It hurts! My arm hurts, Len! Help me!"

For half a moment, Len was frozen with shock. He recovered just as Nero and Mikuo ran over, asking what was wrong and what happened. At the sight of the hot tears pouring from Rin's eyes, Nero knelt beside her and tried to comfort her.

"It hurts. It hurts." Rin said nothing else. Then she looked Len in the eyes and simply said, "Take me to Grandma Lenka. We need to go to her!"

Thinking fast, Len told Mikuo, "Take Olivia back to your home. Nero and I will carry her to Grandma Lenka." To his credit, Mikuo didn't hesitate to take the protesting Olivia by the hand and all but drag her away.

"Are you crazy?" Nero shouted as his cousin left. "Rin needs a doctor if she's in this much pain!"

"What's a doctor going to do?" Len snapped. "Help me take her to Grandma Lenka's or don't, but that's where she's going. Now either help me or get out of my way!"

For a moment, it seemed that Nero was going to argue. However, with a stiff nod, he replied, "All right, then." Scooping up Rin, Nero carried her legs while Len supported her upper body.

"Rin!" Olivia exclaimed. Rin turned her attention towards the girl just in time to see her break free from Mikuo and lurch towards Rin's direction. Without hesitation, Mikuo reached out and grabbed Olivia by the arm, stopping her. "Let me go!" Olivia shouted, but she didn't pull against Mikuo a second time.

"We need you to be taken care of while they get Rin help," he told her. Mikuo kneeled down so that he was speaking to Olivia at eye level. "I want to help Rin, too, but there's nothing to do but make sure we don't give them anything else to worry about until we know what's wrong with Rin."

Whatever else he told Olivia was lost to Rin as the world around her went black. Every now and again she would reemerge, but the excruciating pain would drag her back into the realms of her subconscious. She preferred it when she had no idea where she was and where she was going. It was more peaceful that way.

The final episode must have been the longest. Last Rin remembered, Len and Nero were all but running down the road to Grandma Lenka's house. When she opened her eyes again, they were in the living room. Rin lied on the kitchen table with Len and Grandma Lenka on each side. Nero was gone.

"What's wrong, Rin?" Grandma Lenka asked, her eyes etched with worry. "What can we do to stop the pain?"

The words that came out of her mouth scared Rin, even if they were barely more than ragged breaths. "I have a medic chip in my arm. Without electronic waves for it to charge, it's starting to die. Gah!" A sudden burst of pain caused Rin to peel her back off the table as her limbs tensed. "Cut it out!" she screamed. With her arms heavier than lead, Rin pointed to the wrist in which the chip was injected. "Right here!" she breathed. "Cut it out. Cut it out!"

Understanding flickered behind Grandma Lenka's eyes. She pursed her lips before retreating into the kitchen. When she returned, a small kitchen knife was in her hands.

Len's jaw dropped. "You can't do that!" he exclaimed, but another one of Rin's cries sounded just then. He looked at her, saw how much pain she was in, and gulped. Without being asked to, Len moved to Rin's other side and held down her arm. He held it perfectly still as Grandma Lenka used the clean blade to pierce through the creamy skin.

Rin's shouts grew even louder. The knife felt like hot flame as it dug under her skin, through her muscle. She could feel the blood pour out of the growing wound.

"It's okay, Rin," Len said in a poor attempt to comfort her. Her responding cries appeared to have hurt him with the same pain she felt. "I wish there was a spell I could use to put you under right now," he muttered quietly, unable to say anything else.

However, it didn't matter whether he had a spell or not. The pain was too much for Rin. Before long, the pain caused her to pass out yet again. This time, she did not immediately wake.


	9. Chapter 9

_"_ _We weren't careful and broke a mirror while we were cleaning."_ Rin thought the excuse over and over in her head. _"Len and I cut our wrists on the shattered glass, and now we have matching scars."_ There was no part of Rin that was convinced anyone would actually believe she and Len happened to have matching scars.

After removing the chip from Rin's wrist, Len ran to the bathroom to vomit as Grandma Lenka bandaged Rin's wound. He wasn't careful. When Len slammed the bathroom door shut, the force knocked off the last mirror Grandma Lenka kept hanging in her house. Reacting, Len crouched to the floor and used his arms to protect his face. Broken glass cut through and inhabited itself in his wrist, and Grandma Lenka had to preform another sudden at-home surgery.

At first, no one thought anything of both Rin and Len having deep, bloody wounds on the same wrist. It was only after the wounds healed enough to no longer need the bandage when removing the gauze revealed identical scars on both teens. For the hours afterwards, neither could believe it. Grandma Lenka reminded them how tightly woven their fates were – even the very marks on their skin were shared between them.

For the first time since coming to this world, Rin was grateful for the long-sleeved attire. Hiding the scars was the best thing she and Len could do at this point, but the secret couldn't be hidden forever. Mikuo and Nero, who were told that Rin tore a muscle while playing mudball, grew suspicious.

"Len," Rin entered Len's room, where he poured over book after book of spells and other magic strengthening techniques, "it's been nearly two hours now. Don't you think it would be a good idea to take a break?" Ever since they received their matching scars, he had locked himself away in his room, researching and studying every magic technique known in the Mirror World.

"Nonsense." Len did not look up from the words below him. "Every minute you spend here is another minute I'm putting you and those close to us in danger. I can't 'take a break' until I find a way to send you home now."

"But Grandma Lenka said that you won't be able to open the portal until the solstice," Rin said. "Even the most powerful magician can't open the portal on any other day when he has no reflection. All you're doing is putting unnecessary stress on yourself."

" _This_ is putting unnecessary stress on me?" Len glared at Rin before returning his attention to the books. "Don't you think the sooner I fix this, the better off we'll be?"

Furrowing her brows, Rin whispered, "Is my being here really that bad?" When Len didn't reply, she added, "Do you really want to send me away that badly?"

Without looking away again, Len merely said, "Not now, Rin. I'm busy."

Rin gasped. It felt as if a knife tore into her heart and through her back. She couldn't figure out why Len's words hurt as much as they did, but she refused to dismiss them.

"Then don't bother to stop until you find the solution," she said. "I can't wait to go home. The sooner I can get away from you, the happier I'll be."

Spinning on her heel, Rin fled from the room. She didn't wait to see Len's reaction, if he ever had one; she only wanted to get far away. She needed to get away as far from everything as possible.

She came to a halt at the bottom of the stairs and looked into the dining room. Olivia and Grandma Lenka were painting a tea set. The sight tore at Rin's heart. The grandmother and granddaughter looked happy together – Rin so desperately wanted to be a part. Nothing stopped her from joining them, and they would welcome her in if she asked, but the truth was no matter how much Rin wanted it, this was not where she belonged. This wasn't her world, and this wasn't her family. It was Len's and only Len's. What he had could never, ever be hers.

Her vision blurred as hot tears flooded her eyes. She didn't belong, and the sooner she was gone, the happier they would be. Rin, on the other hand, would forever be heartbroken by the inevitable separation.

"Rin?"

Snapping out of her daze, Rin looked to Olivia. The small girl wore nothing but concern as she looked at Rin. Her gaze slowly moving towards Grandma Lenka, Rin saw worry etched into her aging face. The elderly woman took a step forward. "Rin, what's wrong?"

All Rin could do was shake her head before fleeing. She couldn't stay. There was no room for her. Not in this world, and definitely not in their life. If heartbreak was inescapable, then Rin would do everything she could to ease the pain when it finally happened. She would go back to being that rude, selfish girl to save herself. It was the only defense mechanism she had.

Since she ran blindly, tears obscuring her vision, Rin did not know something was in her way until she crashed into it. Falling to the ground, Rin quickly wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry! I wasn't looking where I was-" The sight of Nero cut her off.

"Rin," Nero took hold of her by the arms and helped her to her feet, "what happened? Why are you crying?"

Shaking her head, all Rin replied was, "I don't want to talk about it."

Nero opened and closed his mouth once, twice before pressing his lips together. With a sigh, he said, "Okay, if you don't want to talk about it, then you don't want to talk about it. I respect that. Anyway, wanna hear a bad joke?"

A single eyebrow went up at the question. "Sure," Rin mumbled, not knowing what else to say.

"Why did the mushroom go to the party?" At Rin's confused stare, Nero prompted her, "Ask why."

"Uh," Rin furrowed her brows, "why did the mushroom go to the party?"

"Because he was a _fungi_!" Nero threw his arms out to his sides, raised his eyebrows, and opened his mouth in a large smile.

"What?" Rin screwed up her face before she understood the pun. Laughter exploded out of her as she threw her head back and exposed all her teeth. It was a bad joke, maybe even stupid, but it did wonders in lightening her mood. "Hey," Rin said after her laughter subsided, "how do you make a tissue dance?"

"I don't know." Nero grinned in anticipation. "How do you make a tissue dance?"

"You put a little _boogie_ in it." That was a joke Rin remembered hearing at school when she was eleven. She tried to tell it to her parents, but they weren't listening, and Oliver was too young at the time to get it. Now, over three years later, she got to repeat the joke to someone who was not only laughing but also doubling over as he tried to catch his breath.

"That was so stupid," Nero said between gasps, "but that's what makes it so funny."

When they stopped laughing, Rin smiled and said, "Thanks, Nero. I really needed that."

"Don't mention it." Nero stabbed his thumb in the direction of the town. "Wanna go for a walk? Hang out or something? Maybe get muffins without nuts."

Not knowing what else to do, Rin shrugged and replied, "I don't see why not, but where's Mikuo?"

"Grounded for the day. I told him to not kick the ball in the house, but does he listen? No. He broke his older brother's favorite picture frame. Li's not going to be happy to come by for Christmas and see he needs to by a new frame for his painting."

As they walked, neither spoke. Normally Rin would not have minded as she believed in a comfortable silence, but she could sense Nero did not feel the same way. She watched him through the corner of her eye. There was something Nero was debating within himself, something he wanted to say but didn't know where to begin.

Finally, Nero sighed. "My parents died in an accident almost a year ago." Eyes wide, Rin snapped her head so that she was facing Nero straight on. He stopped walking, and so did she. "It was raining, and they went for a drive," Nero continued. "No one really knows what happened, but we think there was a flash of lighting that scared the horse. They were long dead before anyone discovered the bodies. The carriage was destroyed, and the horse long gone."

Rin worked her mouth, words failing her. She flicked her eyes this way and that in desperate search of something, anything to say to Nero. If there was something to say, she was unable to find it.

"I was mad at them," Nero said, seeming to not care about Rin's lack of response. "Truth is, I don't even remember what I was mad at them for. Could've been anything, really. Probably something stupid. Anyway, I said things I shouldn't have. I said things that if I ever had the chance to go back in time, I would go back to that day and never say them. Those horrible words were the last thing I ever said to my parents, and I will never, ever get the chance to apologize and make things right. It haunts me, and I don't think there will ever be a day in which I don't regret it."

Tears slid down Nero's cheeks, and it wasn't until Rin felt a hot streak travel down hers that she realized she was crying, too. Still at a loss for words, Rin did nothing save take Nero's hand and squeeze it. He squeezed back. They didn't let go for a few minutes.

"I'm sorry," Rin whispered when she found nothing else to say.

Nero shook his head. "Don't be. It's not your fault."

"Not that. I'm sorry I don't know what to say. That's . . . that's terrible, Nero."

Shrugging, Nero replied, "It's my normal now. I've been told that one day the burden will get easier to bear, and maybe that's true, but for now I just try to keep myself distracted. I try to pretend I'm staying with my aunt and uncle for fun, and sometimes it works, but there's no fooling myself every night when I lie in bed, unable to sleep."

If Rin could have anything in that moment, it would be the words to give Nero. Instead she held his hand even tighter, hoping the action itself would be enough. Words weren't always necessary, and Rin knew she already did a lot by listening, but she would feel more useful if she knew the right thing to say.

Maybe there was no "right thing to say."

"Please don't misunderstand," Rin began slowly, "but why did you tell me this?"

Despite his tears, Nero's goofy grin grew across his face. "I thought, I don't know, maybe you would feel more comfortable talking to me if you knew something deep and personal of mine. If you still decide to not talk, then perhaps you can find some comfort in knowing you're not alone. We all have our problems, but we make the mistake of hiding them. Makes it hard to go to someone when everyone around you seems perfect all the time, doesn't it?"

Rin nodded as a way to tell Nero that he was right. Chewing on her lower lip, she admitted, "Sometimes I believe nobody really cares about me. Love is conditional, and I only matter when I'm not an inconvenience. I'm not expecting to be the most important thing to a person, but would it be too much to ask to feel like I matter?" Rin shrugged. "I know my feelings aren't true, yet I can't bring myself to not believe them. Isn't that weird? I can't believe something I know? What's wrong with me?"

"Rin, knowing and believing are two different things." Nero looked at her and only at her. "Your feelings are real, even when you can't make sense of them. Don't think something's wrong with you just because you think you're feeling something you shouldn't feel. Those emotions are valid – the only challenge is not letting them consume you and drag you down the deep, dark depths."

Without speaking, Rin evaluated Nero's words. He spoke as if he knew from experience, and maybe he did. There was no reason for him to lie to her, and it wasn't hard for her to see that maybe he was right, even if she wasn't sure she believed what he just said. "Thank you," Rin said, her words so soft they flew away with the wind. Nero heard them nonetheless, as evident by his big smile.

"Now, let's go get some muffins," he said, snatching Rin by the wrist and dragging her along with him.

* * *

Bag of muffins in one hand and a half-eaten one in the other, Rin walked side-by-side with Nero as they left Mr. Rei's bakery and headed to the lake before returning to Grandma Lenka's house. The deep conversation tucked away, Rin laughed at some of the things Nero told her. Most were incidents he and Mikuo caused, and the rest were little stories from Nero's life before he went to live with his aunt and uncle. He told each and every story with enthusiasm, words occasionally coming out rushed in excitement and hands constantly flying in exaggerating gestures. Before Rin would have been annoyed by such an energetic way of storytelling, but she truly enjoyed Nero using his energy to breathe life into events from his past.

When Nero did stop talking, his silence seemed to have come abruptly. He finished one story, and instead of transitioning smoothly into the next, he remained quiet. Rin opened her mouth to ask what was wrong, but Nero slapped his palm over her lips. Placing his pointer finger over his mouth, he signaled her to be quiet. Without giving it any thought, Rin nodded in agreement.

Removing his hand from Rin's face, he mouthed, "Follow me," crouched low, and snuck behind the bushes. Unsure of what else to do, Rin did as Nero said. She stayed close to his side, and soon she heard what must have caused the strange actions from Nero.

Voices.

Rin swallowed a shriek of fear. It was those women – the brunette and the pinkette. Nero must have sensed her unease, because he placed a steady hand on her shoulder. Casting each other a quick look, they crouched lower as they eavesdropped on the women's discussion.

"It has to be her," the brunette was saying. "You heard everything I heard: the girl is missing. Just gone without a trace. Tell me, Luka, what more proof do we need?"

"Something tangible, Meiko," Luka replied with a huff. "I'm just as ready to move on to the next phase as you are, but we can't get impatient. If we act now and it turns out we're wrong, we will put everything we've tried so hard to build in jeopardy. You know I'm just as certain, but we can't act. Not yet."

Sighing heavily, Meiko said, "Well this kid needs to screw up majorly, then, kuz I don't see what kind of tangible evidence you're talking about."

"We'll find something eventually," Luka promised. "For now, we just need to keep an eye on that Kagamine girl."

At the mention of her family name, Rin froze still as stone. She felt Nero snap his head in her direction to look at her, but she didn't turn to meet his gaze. _They're onto me,_ Rin thought. _They have to know. Why else would they say those things?_

The women began walking back to the town, and Nero used the opportunity to lead Rin in the opposite direction. When they walked out of the bushes, Nero grabbed Rin's wrist and pulled her deeper into the forest. He did not give any explanation for why he was doing this, and none of Rin's pleas seemed to reach his ears.

"Nero, what are you doing? Stop! You're running too fast! Stop before I trip over this ridiculous skirt!"

After they had covered a great distance, all the while Rin yelling and Nero not responding, the boy came to a stop and suddenly covered Rin's mouth with the palm of his hand again.

"Shut your mouth!" he hissed. "Do you _want_ to be found?" When Rin shook her head, he added, "Then _keep quiet_. I need to talk to you, and it would be better if those women weren't around to hear."

Removing his hand from Rin's face, Nero kept a firm grip on her wrist as he dragged her deeper and deeper into the woods. They were heading to the lake across from where he and Mikuo took her and Len to play mudball not so long ago. Rin chewed the inside of her cheek. Life felt so different back then – like it could be carefree. Now it seemed that even Nero was dangerous, but he was also her friend. As much as Rin wanted to run, she needed to trust Nero, even if with every step he pulled her more and more away from civilization.

When they arrived where Nero wanted to be, he let go of Rin and took a few steps forward. He paced, sighed, and ran a hand through his hair. He sighed again. Whatever it was he wanted to say, Rin could tell he was finding the right way to start.

"Come on already," she said, hoping to encourage Nero to say it faster. "Spit it out. Grandma Lenka is going to wonder where I am if I'm not back by dark."

Shaking his head, Nero turned around and said, "I don't know how else to say this, so I'm going to be blunt with you. Understand?" Rin nodded as she swallowed the fear of the words about to come from Nero's mouth. It was with a deep breath Nero said in a rush, "Are you from the Reflected World?"

All the air was sucked from Rin's lungs. Her knees buckled from under her, but she was able to regain her balance before she fell to the ground. _How did he figure it out?!_ she screamed inside her head. She then began to laugh. The laughter was almost hysterical.

"Don't be silly, Nero," she said, her words spoken too loud and too high. "You know the Reflected World is just one of Grandma Lenka's stories. You told me so yourself that you know they're not real."

"I've been wrong before." Nero walked closer to Rin, demeanor serious. "Don't feel like you have to lie. You can trust me, Rin."

All Rin could do was shake her head as she said, "Stop messing around. This isn't the time to be telling such jokes."

"I'm not joking!" Nero snapped, making Rin jump. He apologized before running his fingers through his hair yet again and saying, "At first I didn't believe it myself, but things just didn't add up, Rin. You don't talk like us, you don't understand everything the way Len – your _twin brother_ – does, Ms. Lenka's mirrors were all taken down, then there was that incident in the bakery, and those women just now . . ." Nero blew out a lungful of air. "Rin, do you know your reflection is missing from the lake?"

Heart turned to stone, Rin looked at the lake Nero had lead her so close to. Her stomach crashed through the ground as she beheld the scene the lake mirrored. Blue sky with white puffy clouds, large trees with their fine, green leaves, and Nero standing rigidly by the edge were all reflected back at them. Except for Rin. According to the lake, Nero stared at nothing. It was as if she didn't exist, and in that moment, Rin wished she didn't.

"Nero," she said, lost for words, "you have to understand. I had to-"

"Just answer the question, Rin!" Nero snapped. When he saw that he made Rin flinch for the second time, Nero slowly approached her and laid a gentle hand on her arm above the elbow. "I'm sorry." He spoke the words softly. "I'm really sorry, Rin, but please, answer the question. I need to know I'm not going crazy. You're seeing what I'm seeing, aren't you? This isn't all just inside my head, is it?"

Tears welling in her eyes, Rin fought to be strong. This secret was between her and Len's family. This wasn't hers alone to share. If anyone else knew, it would bring nothing but trouble. Rin should have stayed strong and insisted that she wasn't seeing what Nero was seeing, but one like into Nero's desperate eyes – Nero, who spent the day trying to cheer her up, and who told her something very deep and personal about himself just so she trust him – and she completely broke.

"I'm from the Reflected World!" She began sobbing, and once she started, she could not bring herself to stop. "I got mad at dinner and told Grandpa Rinto mean things. I told Miku and Neru mean things to make them hate me! I didn't know where else to go or what else to do after that, so I went to Grandpa Rinto's attic. He has this giant mirror in the attic, and it really is beautiful. I thought I heard singing, so I leaned into it and fell through. I fell through a freaking mirror! Next thing I know, Len is in front of me and is telling me that I'm not in my world anymore and that he can't get the portal to open back up. Now we have to wait for the summer solstice since that's when Len's magic is at its strongest, but what if he can't open it again? He's not as strong without his reflection. What if I'm stuck here forever? Worse, what if those women are looking for me? If I can't go home, I don't know what I'll do! I'm scared, Nero. I'm really scared. . . ."

With each word that passed from her mouth, her vision blurred. By the time she finished, Rin could see nothing beyond the hot tears that streamed down her cheeks and dripped from her chin. She couldn't see how Nero reacted to anything she had told him. She wasn't sure she wanted to see.

Closing her eyes, Rin placed her face in her palms and held nothing back. It felt good to tell an uninvolved person what had happened to her. It felt good to not have to keep secrets all the time. Yet where there was the good feelings, there was also the overwhelming sense of guilt. Grandma Lenka would not approve of Nero knowing. Len . . . Rin didn't want to think about it, but Len would blow a gasket. He was on edge already. If Len learned that Nero knew the truth, there was no knowing all the drama that would erupt from there.

Rin sucked in a breath when she felt arms wrap around her and pull her close. With her head resting against Nero's chest, she could feel his heartbeat and hear his breathing. He didn't speak. Instead of comforting with words, Nero held her close and rubbed small circles on her back. It was enough for Rin to wrap her own arms around him and to cry harder, shedding more tears she didn't know she had. Her small frame trembled, but Nero's held her steady. Like Len did not so long ago, Nero held her together so she could let herself fall apart. Yet more than that, Nero held her so tightly Rin could almost feel her broken pieces popping back into place. When she stopped crying, Rin held for a few moments longer, not wanting to let go.

"Feel better?" Nero asked.

"Yeah," Rin answered. "Thank you."

"That's what friends are for, right?"

Instead of answering, Rin hugged Nero tighter.

"I won't tell anyone," Nero promised. "Not even Mikuo."

"You shouldn't keep secrets from your family."

"It's not my secret to share. Mikuo would understand."

Rin took a deep breath. "Thank you."

When the hug broke, it was Rin who pulled away. "We need to start heading back," she announced.

"Let's keep nobody waiting." Nero grinned. "I can't believe it. All this time, there really is another world on the other side of the glass."

Shrugging, Rin said, "You probably won't believe it, but when I found out, I was a little surprised, too."

Nero shook his head. "This is amazing. My whole world has been turned upside down."

"Wait until you visit one that's not your own," Rin said with a snort.

"Fair enough," Nero replied. Looking at Rin's empty hands, Nero asked, "Rin, where are the muffins?"

"What?" Rin looked at her hands as if the bag of muffins would magically appear if she looked hard enough. She then sighed in defeat. "I must have dropped them while you were dragging me around like you did," she answered.

"Well," again with Nero's goofy grin, "we better start looking. Hopefully they're all still in one piece. I don't know how else we would explain to Mr. Rei that we somehow lost all of the muffins he gave us."

"Well," Rin smirked, "I know a thing or two about deception, don't I?"

* * *

By the time Rin returned, the sun had almost set. She and Nero found the bag of muffins mostly unharmed on the road back to town, and he had let her keep the whole thing. Rin decided to use the muffins as a peace offering for running off like she did earlier.

When she presented them, however, Grandma Lenka merely waved them away. "No need to apologize for going someplace to be alone," she had said. "We all need a moment to ourselves from time to time. Tell me, do you feel better now than when you took off like that?" Rin nodded. "Then no harm done, I say. Now, set the muffins down and help Olivia set the table. Those muffins will be an excellent breakfast tomorrow."

Len didn't come down for dinner. Apparently he was still studying and trying to find a way to open the portal. "I'm worried about him, Grandma Lenka," Olivia said as she stirred her mushy soup. "Len never studies this much."

"Leave him be," Grandma Lenka said with a shake of her head. "Determination like that won't go nowhere if you try to stop it. Len has to burn himself out to realize exactly how silly he's being."

Meanwhile, Rin said next to nothing as she ate. She should tell them Nero knew. Every logical and emotion thought was screaming at Rin that she should not keep this secret, yet she couldn't bring herself to open her mouth. She didn't trust herself to not tell them if she spoke. As a result, she communicated with Grandma Lenka and Olivia only when absolutely necessary. If either noticed the strange behavior, neither acted like it.

After they had eaten, cleaned up, and dressed for bed, Rin hovered outside of Len's bedroom door. _What's he doing in there?_ she wondered. _Is he still studying, or has he realized his mistake and is now too stubborn to come out and admit that we are right?_

"Rin?"

Said girl peeled her eyes away from the wood and looked at the small girl standing beside her. "Yes, Olivia?"

"Can you talk to Len?" Olivia asked. "He's not acting like himself, and he won't answer the door when I knock. Maybe he'll listen to you."

Rin's heart melted for the girl who reminded Rin so much of her own little brother. "I'll see what I can do," she answered, "but I can't make any promises."

"Just at least try," was all Olivia said.

"I will," Rin replied. "Now how about I tuck you in first? It'll be easier to talk to Len once I know you're asleep in your warm, comfy bed."

Taking Olivia's hand, Rin led the smaller girl to her room and pulled the covers right under Olivia's chin. As Rin sang Olivia to sleep, with Olivia mumbling along, Rin internally pondered what she was going to say to Len. Grandma Lenka was right: Len was not going to stop simply because Rin told him to. Not to mention she didn't want to put herself in the position to get hurt again. Rin knew Len didn't mean it, but his words still hurt all the same. He knew that she didn't take well to being brushed aside as if she didn't matter, and Rin genuinely wondered if he kept such in mind as he claimed to be too busy for her.

"Len?" Rin, now finished tucking Olivia in bed, called as she opened his bedroom door without first knocking, to her surprise. She didn't expect the door to be unlocked. There, face planted on the desk, sat Len. His expression was one of frustration, depression, and lack of sleep. "You wore yourself out, didn't you, idiot?" Rin mumbled as she approached his shoulder. "Get up," she said as she gave him a slight shake.

"I'm sorry, Rin," Len replied, his words muffled against the desk. "I shouldn't have said what I did."

"It doesn't matter," Rin said and meant it. "Get up, and let me help you get to bed."

Sluggishly, Len stood to his feet and leaned against Rin as she led him to his bed. He all but dropped onto the mattress, and Rin held her breath as she did the honor of removing his shoes. "Don't get crazy like that again," she warned. "Your little stunt holing yourself up like this really had us worried. You can't send me home faster, and killing yourself trying isn't going to work, either."

"It won't happen again," Len said as he stared off into nothing.

Rin used the silence to debate whether she should tell Len that Nero figured out their secret, or perhaps mention that Meiko and Luka were keeping a close watch on the family. There was no doubt in Rin's mind he should know, but there was a hesitation in opening her mouth. Fearing Len would use the information as more reason to repeat his actions earlier that day, Rin chose to keep the secret between only her and Nero.

"Get your rest," Rin said. "Olivia wants me to talk to you, and I would rather not have you half conscious as I give you a piece of my mind."

Len groaned. "Please no, Rin."

"See you at the butt crack of dawn," Rin sang as she left the room, acting more uplifted than she felt.


	10. Chapter 10

Rin wiped the sweat from her forehead. Len and she had been tasked with the chore of weeding the garden again, and they had just about finished the job. It had been a few days since Nero discovered the truth about Rin, and still Rin told nobody else that their secret was no longer as secret as they would prefer it to be. Len was done trying to find some way to send Rin home sooner; the last thing she needed was for him to fall into that downward spiral again.

"These are some super weeds," Rin said after she pulled out a small weed with a particularly large root system. "Last time we had to deal with regular weeds, but now they have evolved into superior form."

Snorting, Len replied, "If that's the case, what form will the weeds take next time they need to be pulled?"

With a hum, Rin guessed, "Mega weeds."

"That sounds like an insult," the cheery voice of Mikuo said as the boy, Nero in tow, approached the Kagamine household.

"Oh, no," Len said, exaggerating terror. "Not you two again."

"They will never leave us alone!" Rin cried out, but she was unable to contain her laughter.

"You got that right," Nero said, completely serious. "We are the itches you will never be able to scratch."

Mikuo screwed up his face. "That was awful, even for you."

Nero shrugged. "I try."

"What are you even doing here in the first place?" Rin asked, cutting straight to the point. "You know Grandma Lenka gave Len and me chores today."

"I keep telling him it's a bad idea," Nero said as Mikuo answered, "I wanted to see if y'all wanted to go swimming today. The weather's great! I can't find a reason not to."

 _I can_ , Rin thought. "Sorry," she said before Len could reply, "but my brother and I can't go with you two today."

"Why not?" Len asked. "I haven't been swimming in forever. I'm sure if we finish up all our chores before it gets too late, Grandma Lenka will let us go."

 _He's oblivious._ Rin chewed her lower lip, unsure how to tell Len the reason they shouldn't be so close to water.

"Why don't we play kickball instead?" Nero suggested, not needing to see the worry in Rin's eyes.

"Because it's too hot for kickball." Mikuo shook his head. "You spent almost all summer complaining because you wanted to go swimming, and now that it's a good day to go, you'd rather play _kickball_? I honestly don't get you sometimes."

"If you two don't want to swim, then you don't have to," Len said as he pulled the weeds more aggressively now. "I, on the other hand, would love to jump into the water. You two can play kickball why Mikuo and I go swimming."

Frustrated, Rin stomped towards Len, grabbed him by the shoulder, and yanked him away from the flowerbed. Looking her mirror image in the eyes, Rin growled just loud enough for only Len to hear, "We can't go swimming, genius. Water reflects, and you know who doesn't have a reflection?"

Len's eyes widened when he realized what Rin was saying. "Are you sure?" he asked quietly, as if it were possible the lake could still conjure up reflections for them.

Rin nodded. "I was there with Nero a few days ago, and I didn't see myself in the water."

All the breath seemed to be sucked from Len's lungs. "Did Nero notice?" he asked.

It was Rin's turn to lose the ability to breathe. She put herself into this mess, and now she didn't know how to get out of it. _Yes_ , she should have said. What she should have done was told Len the truth, but what she actually said was, "No, Nero didn't see anything." Guilt rose up like bile in her throat when Rin saw just how easily Len believed her deceitful words.

"Hey!" Mikuo shouted, getting the supposed twins' attention. When both looked at him, he asked, "Are we going swimming or what? We haven't got all day, y'know. Sun's gotta set at some time."

"We can't go swimming," Rin said, her words stiff.

Mikuo raised an eyebrow as if challenging her. "And why is that, Rin?"

"Because," Rin tried, "uh, because . . ."

"Because I just remembered that I promised to take Rin to see the flower show today," Len cut in. "Grandma Lenka talked about it a few days ago, and as much as I don't want to go, I can't leave Rin alone. She really wants to see it."

"Exactly!" Rin said. _I don't even want to see the flowers._ "I love how amazing and colorful nature can be, and it would be amazing to see how the people of the town here use magic on the flowers."

"That's why we can't go swimming," Len added. "We need to finish these chores so Grandma Lenka will let us go."

"Doesn't sound like a bad plan," Nero said, shrugging his shoulders as he turned to Mikuo. "Why don't we help them pull weeds so that they can go tonight? We can join them and hang out that way."

"But I want to go swimming!" Mikuo whined. He pouted for half a minute before saying, "Fine, I'll help, but you owe me."

As the boys proceeded to help with the garden, Nero asked Rin, "What about Ms. Olivia?"

Rin snorted. "Ms. Olivia got to dust and sweep the house as her chore. I guess I can't complain though since she's got those chores to herself while I have Len, but at least she doesn't have to be out in the sweltering sun." When she was certain neither Len nor Mikuo were listening, Rin leaned closer and whispered, "Thank you for having my back."

"Don't mention it." Nero smiled. "What are friends for?"

* * *

With the chores finished and the teens dressed up, Rin helped Olivia tie the ribbon on her dress. "Hold still, please!" Rin pleaded as Olivia, the only one who actually wanted to see the flower show, kept bouncing with anticipation.

"Sorry, Rin, but I'm just too excited!" Olivia flashed the same grin Oliver used when he was far too eager for something to happen.

"Well, learn to contain yourself before the boys arrive," Rin replied, smiling. For the event, Grandma Lenka had leant Rin a dress that hadn't been worn since Grandma Lenka was a girl. It was a soft, velvet pink with cream collars. Based on appearances alone, the dress was no different than the usual style of clothing for women, but the colors and materials of the dress made it the finest Rin had seen in weeks. Len's attire, on the other hand, had a more formal appearance to it.

"Have you ever seen a flower show before?" Rin asked after tying Olivia's ribbon.

Spinning around so her skirts flied out, Olivia answered, "No, but I've heard about them. Kids from school tell me about it every year. Mom and Dad always wanted to take us, but they've always been too busy with work to go. At least we get to go to one now!" Olivia stopped spinning and started to giggle. "And you get to come with us. That's going to make this the best flower show ever!"

"Not that I see how my presence will affect the quality and enjoyability of the show, but thank you, Olivia." Taking the younger girl's hand, Rin led Olivia down the stairs to see that the boys had already arrived and were talking to Len. "So," Rin began, "are we going to walk the whole way?"

Mikuo rolled his eyes. "It's a twenty-minute walk, Rin. You know that's not far."

For someone who grew up with hover taxis that took anyone anywhere with no cost to children, given they had passes for the ride given to them by their parents, as Rin had, twenty minutes was a long walk to anywhere, but she decided against telling Mikuo that. "At least the cooling night air will feel good," Rin said instead.

"My, my," Grandma Lenka said as she entered the room. "All five of you look superb all gussied up. Since you're all so early, I hope you don't mind if I ask you to step outside to take a picture."

While Mikuo and Nero were politely telling Grandma Lenka that such wouldn't be necessary, Rin leaned over to Len and whispered, "I didn't know this world had cameras."

Len rolled his eyes but smiled anyway. "We're only technologically slow, Rin. We're not primitive."

"I think a picture is a great idea," Rin said, louder so everyone else would hear her. "What better way to have something to help us remember this night." What she didn't add was, "when I'm no longer here to see all of you every day."

After being rushed outside, Grandma Lenka had the five of them line up in front of her garden. She kept rearranging them until they were symmetrical, which caused them all to groan and laugh. It took a few minutes longer than Rin was used to, but finally a picture of her and Len, Olivia in the middle, and Mikuo beside Len with Nero next to Rin was taken.

When Grandma Lenka gave them permission to go, the five of them walked to just the edge of town, and a crowd gathered to see the display. Rin, Len, and Olivia all stared in wonder at the rainbow of flowers lining the walkway and shaped to resemble extravagant forms. It reminded Rin of those bushes kings had in her old picture books the way the floral resembled rabbits, lions, and even a dragon.

"It's beautiful," she gasped, her breath taken away.

"This isn't even the best of it," Nero promised as they joined the crowd.

"How can it get even better than this?" Rin asked, her eyes taking in everything they could. She wanted to remember this moment forever, and she never wanted to forget the feeling she had just then. Wonder, amazement, the joy of being surrounded by those you loved and who loved you in turn – Rin always wanted to remember, forgetting not even a second of it.

"You seem to forget of a little thing we have called magic," Mikuo answered, ruffling Olivia's hair as the smaller girl gaped at all the soft and vibrant colors. Olivia squealed and batted Mikuo's hand away.

"I have to admit," Len said, smiling, "I don't know what I was expecting, but consider my expectations surpassed."

"Just wait until it starts," Mikuo promised. Nero nodded in agreement.

When the time came, the florist stood in front of the crowd. After a brief introduction and explanation of the history of these flower shows, she began to sweep the people away in the visuals of what she and many others prepared for this night.

It was the visual magic Rin understood the least, and that night she was glad for her ignorance as she watched as the flower rabbits danced along to a ballet, the lions jumped through hoops, and the lone dragon fly through the sky as it breathed not fire but bright red carnations that fell into the audience. It was unlike anything she had ever seen before, and she knew after that night no amount of computer rendering would impress her ever again.

"For you."

Rin turned to the voice to find Nero handing her one of the red carnations. After she accepted it with a smile and a word of thanks, Nero offered another to Olivia. Burying her nose in the petals, Rin deeply inhaled the scent of the night. Her eyes began to burn. There was no way, she thought, she would be able to go home after this.

Long after the show had ended and they had looked at the displays for longer than needed, Len pulled Rin aside and asked, "Is there something wrong? Ever since the show, you've looked a little upset." When Rin responded with only a shrug, Len added, "You can talk to me. If something's upsetting you, I want to know if there's anything I can do to help."

"I don't know if there's anything that can be done." Rin sighed. "I should want to go home, but the truth is . . . I don't. For once I feel like I belong somewhere, like my whole life I have been searching for this place; and now that I have found it, I don't want to leave. Isn't that terrible? I have people at home I should want to go back to, but here I am, wanting to stay with your people, with you, instead of going back where I belong." Rin wiped the tears as they fell from her eyes. The tears, as a result, began to fall faster. Furiously, Rin dragged her forearm forwards and backwards across her eyes. "This isn't fair!" she cried.

Warmth enveloped her as Len pulled her in for a hug. "I don't want you to go either," he replied, his own voice cracking under the weight of his words. "I finally found my other half. Rin, you're the piece of me I never knew I was missing until you came into my life." He held her closer. "How am I supposed to open the portal back to your world when I don't even want you to go?" When he laughed, the sound was without humor. "I don't want to be able to open the portal," he admitted. "I want to be too weak to do it. I want you to be stuck here forever, all so I don't have to lose you. Isn't that terrible of me? How can I be so selfish?"

"If you're selfish, then so am I." Rin returned the hug and held onto Len as if her life depended on it. "I want to stay, but I know I can't. Neither of us can get what we want. As much as you want to fail to open the portal, you have to open it. You have to, Len."

"I know," Len whispered, the words spoken as if he didn't want to confess them even to himself. "I know."

They broke the hug before anyone could wonder if something was wrong. Drying their tears, the two looked at each other and shared a sad smile. It only made more tears rise up.

"If anything," Len thought aloud, "we're luckier than most. Almost everyone goes through life never meeting their other half. I get to call my other half my best friend."

"Yeah," Rin agreed as she hiccupped. "How did we ever get to be so lucky?"

Drying their tears, Rin and Len walked to rejoin the others. When he saw her, Nero ran forward and grabbed Rin by the wrist. He said as he pulled her forward, "Let's get one last look at that dragon! Hands down the best part of the whole show, don't you think, Rin?"

"Heck yeah!" While she looked at the dragon created by nothing more than flowers, Rin began to wonder if she would enjoy Neru's company the same way she enjoyed Nero's. Same with Miku in comparison to Mikuo. They were the same people, after all. Rin wasn't really giving up some of the best friends she ever had, or so she kept telling herself.

She must have worn her thoughts on her face, because on the walk back to Grandma Lenka's, Nero quietly asked, "What's wrong, Rin?"

"Nothing's wrong." Rin shook her head. "It's just I had a really great time tonight. A really, really great time."

Reaching out, Nero grabbed and squeezed Rin's fingers. He soon let go. "I'm going to miss you," he said. The words made tears again flood Rin's eyes. It was the first thing Nero had said to acknowledge that Rin would soon have to go back. "I'm never going to meet anyone else like you."

"You have Len," Rin pointed out. "He's me."

"No offense to Len," Nero said, "but he's not the fun side of you."

It was enough for Rin to smile. "I wish there was a way to stay in contact. I . . . I don't think I can leave this place without wanting to hold onto the people I met here."

"But that's what needs to be done, isn't it?"

Lips trembling, Rin replied, "Yes."

* * *

Tossing and turning, Rin kicked off the sheets that were tangling knots around her legs. Sleep would not come to her and ease her racing mind. After everything that had happened hours before, Rin was too wound up to sleep.

"Fresh air," Rin decided aloud. "Perhaps fresh air will help." Throwing aside her covers, Rin got out of bed and walked to her door. Before she turned the knob, Rin turned back around and searched the bed. There, under her mattress, was her nano player, the very one that fell into this world with her and was kept hidden from everyone, including Len.

Once outside, Rin placed the ear buds in and began searching through her playlists. Music would calm her down and ease her racing thoughts. She knew she was upset because she didn't want to leave, but it had to be this way. Try as she might to find some plan to give reason to stay, it would be selfish of her to not go home. Her friends and family would never see her again, and Len's family would be in constant danger. If Rin truly loved the people here, her only option was to let them go.

When she settled on a song, Rin sat on the porch steps and hummed along. She promised herself she wouldn't be out long. After all, she and Len had things to do in the morning.

* * *

"Do you see that?" Luka asked, jabbing Meiko in the shoulder. "See what the Kagamine girl is holding?"

The two women had been staking out Grandma Lenka's home ever since Rin's sudden appearance. Both sat in a small carriage at the end of the road, hidden from sight but able to clearly see what happened just outside the older woman's home.

Taking the binoculars from Luka, Meiko looked through them to find Rin sitting on the porch, a small object emitting light in her hand. "Looks like one of those music players," Meiko answered, a grin growing on her face. "Do we need any more proof that this brat is from the Reflected World?"

Luka thought about it for a moment before answering, "We have our pair."

"Good." Meiko grinned like a cat about to catch its prey. "Let's see just how connected we really are to our mirror images."


	11. Chapter 11

"And that's how the NatAct works," Rin told Len as the two walked to the town to pick up ingredients for Grandma Lenka. Rin looked over the list again, folded it, and put it in her apron pocket. She looked to Len again and shrugged. "I know it's hard to explain, but it really is the greatest thing we have in my world."

"I'll say." Len shook his head, his eyes wide in amazement. "You really can communicate with anyone no matter where they live through – what's it called? – _electronic_ letters?"

"Yep!" Rin giggled at the look on Len's face. "NatAct is short for National Actionability – articles and messaging and videos all ready for action whenever you give the command. It didn't stay national for long, but even though the whole world has access now, InterAct just doesn't have the same ring to it."

Len laughed. "Your world sounds more amazing the more I hear about it."

"Yeah," Rin frowned, "but we don't have magic. Something like the flower show last night wouldn't be possible in my world."

"Can't have everything." Len shrugged. He turned around when he heard something. "I wonder who that is."

Looking behind her, Rin saw a carriage heading their way. "We should get off the road," she said before they did so.

When the carriage got closer to them, the driver pulled the horses to a complete stop. The sinking feeling hit Rin with full force. She didn't stop to consider what her instincts were telling her.

"Run," she told Len, and he didn't hesitate to obey.

A few men poured out of the carriage, each one of them masked. The sight alone was enough for Rin to push her legs even harder. Adrenaline kicked in, and her heart hammered in her ears. She felt almost as if she could fly with how her legs carried her. Rin was small and had long legs: there was no reason her gazelle-like form couldn't flee from danger.

"Let go!"

At the sound of Len's voice, Rin came to a halt and spun around. Half the men already had Len in their custody, and the rest were still after her. Without thinking anything through, Rin dashed back to the men. She was small enough to slip past them as they reached for her. She quickly lost whatever distance she had gained as she took another step towards Len.

"What are you doing?!" Len demanded. "Rin, get away!" A cloth was forced over Len's face, and soon he slumped in the men's arms.

"Len!" Rin cried. She tried to beat the men off Len, but her efforts were pathetic and useless. Screaming when she was grabbed from behind, Rin struggled to get away. Another cloth was forced onto her face. Rin tried to hold her breath as she fought to no avail. The need for air was too great, and after struggling for what felt like ages, she inhaled deeply against her will. The drug hit her the second it reached her lungs. Everything went fuzzy, her limbs grew heavy, and then she fell into a deep sleep despite the terror that only seconds before had her wide awake.

* * *

 _My head hurts._ It was the first thing Rin thought as she regained consciousness. Moaning, Rin pushed herself upright as she rubbed her head. Her second thought was, _Where's Len?_

Eyes flying open at the question, Rin desperately searched around for any sign of her mirror image. She found herself in a concrete room with a steel door. Other than the mirror by her side, the four corners were completely bare. Len was nowhere in sight.

When she didn't see Len, Rin did a double take with the mirror. Her own eyes looked back at her. These weren't Len's eyes, which mirrored her own, but these were her reflection's eyes. Rin held her breath. She lacked a reflection because she and Len were in the same world, yet now she had one as if there was never a point she didn't.

 _Am I back in the Reflected World?_ she wondered, studying her reflection. The last time Rin saw herself, she was in Grandpa Rinto's attic. Now, weeks later, she beheld the face that was truly her own.

Her wild, knotted blonde hair almost reached her shoulders now. The clothes she wore made it appear that Rin was dressed in costume compared to what she normally wore before. Her face was darker after all the time spent in the summer sun. Yet despite everything, it was still her. In so many ways, she was the same girl who lived in the Reflected World and didn't believe in the Mirror World at all.

Crying out, Rin slammed her fist into the mirror. When nothing happened, Rin beat the mirror again and again. There were no changes made to the glass save smudges left behind by her dirty hands.

"I'd appreciate it if you'd stop doing that."

Rin snapped her head around to see a familiar face enter the room. Meiko. Curling in on herself, Rin muttered, "What do you want?"

"To tell you to stop banging on the glass, for one." Meiko looked Rin up and down, studying the small girl with hungry eyes. "I really don't believe it. A girl from the Reflected World living here, blending in as if she belonged with all our denizens. I'm amazed you had to courage to do so, especially when so many who travel between worlds are unable to handle it and break down."

 _This isn't happening,_ Rin told herself. _This isn't happening._ "How do you know I'm from the Reflected World?"

"You wouldn't believe it," Meiko studied her nails, "but reports of a missing girl in your world, along with the sudden inclusion of one in ours, was a pretty big hint."

"How did you know I was missing? How did you know I was that girl?"

"Friends on the other side. I think you met them. A gorgeous man with dreamy blue eyes and silky midnight hair. Not to mention the goof with the ponytail. However, we couldn't be sure; but when we saw you with that – what's it called? – nano player, we knew for a fact you were our girl."

A shudder ran through Rin as she recalled the faces. Kaito had warned her about falling through any mirrors. He must have known, but his warning was no better than mocking. Then a wall of guilt slammed into her when she processed what Meiko said about seeing her with the nano player. _This is all my fault._ Shaking as she held herself together, Rin asked, "How do you know about the Reflected World?"

After she barked a laugh, Meiko answered, "That stupid old woman isn't the only one who knows about the world on the other side of the mirror. Not by a long shot. Don't you know anything about the Great War?"

Rin did, of course. Her grandfather, whom she was named after, was one of the greatest heroes. "It was a war fought all over the world," she said.

"It was a war fought all over _both_ worlds," Meiko corrected. "Well, the both worlds thing isn't well known, especially since most people refuse to believe in what they cannot explain. What a sad life to live when you only believe in what you can see." Meiko shrugged. "But that's beside the point. There are those who never forgot, whose kids and grandkids still believe. Your world really messed ours up, glass girl, and we won't let your people get away with it."

"I'm just one girl," Rin pointed out despite her racked nerves. "What can you do with me that's going to make a difference in all of this?"

Grin growing across her beautiful but wicked face, Meiko replied, "We don't really know if it's true or not that we are connected to our mirror images. Before you came along, we struggled to figure out how to test that connection; but now that you're here, we have the opportunity to test away."

Rin's face paled. "What are you going to do to me?"

"Nothing." Meiko chuckled, the sound despicable. "You're going to be the control."

Understanding caused Rin's heart to race, her hearing dulled because of the blood rushing in her ears. "If you do anything to Len, I swear to the gods-"

"The gods don't care about you," Meiko interrupted. "By coming to this world and living within it, you have spat in their face. They divided the universe into two for a reason, but now it's time we become one again. Your people will pay for what they have done to us. No longer will we live in this stagnant society, too focused on comfort to even dream of moving forward."

Boldness coming from somewhere deep within, Rin kept her voice firm as she said, "You needs us just as much as we need you."

"We're about to find that out, Kagamine." Meiko showed Rin a sickly sweet smile. "We're going to find out because you're the one who's going to figure that out for us."

"Why are you even telling me this?" Rin demanded. "I'm sure it doesn't matter to you whether or not I know of your plans."

"Oh, it doesn't," Meiko confirmed, "but we think it would be better if you had an idea of what was going on. No that your knowing makes a difference anyway. After we find out what we need, no matter the results, you're going to be dead in the end regardless."

* * *

The poison coursed through his veins, burning every muscle in his body. It wouldn't kill him: the ones who injected it into his system made sure the does was not lethal. Yet Len felt as if he was dying while he lied on that operating table. Had it just been him, he would have willed himself to die the second these experiments started. But it wasn't just him, and he couldn't let Rin meet the same fate. He had to make sure she made it back to her world, where she would be safe.

Rin shouldn't have been there. Had she not been brought to this world, she would be home instead. She wouldn't be treated like a guinea pig. By opening the portal and unintentionally bringing Rin to his world, he had condemned them both.

 _No,_ he thought through the murkiness in his head. Each thought came slow and heavy, as if trekking through mud immediately after a heavy rainfall. _We will make it out. Rin will go home. She'll be safe. I'll make sure of it._

It felt they had been here forever, but it only had to have been days. These "doctors" wore masks and all white, making them appear to be something from a horror play. Everyone else in the facility dressed in standard business attire.

Wiggling in pain, Len screamed through gritted teeth. The doctors standing around his bedside took notes. Somewhere in this gods forsaken hell, others were observing Rin to see how she was reacting. They promised they were treating Rin well and no one was hurting her or taking advantage of her. Yet they were lying. Even if nobody was so much as looking at Rin the wrong way, they still inflicted pain upon him to see how it affected her. They needed to know just how badly they could hurt their mirror images without hurting themselves.

 _How can you hate yourself so much that you'd be okay if a massive part of you died?_ Len banged the back of his head against the steel table. He needed another pain to distract him from the one that spread like wildfire under his skin. _Why would anyone want to kill such a vital part of their very being?_

The thoughts did little to distract Len, but he needed something, anything, to get through this. He had to survive. He had to make sure Rin would be taken care of.

"That's enough," one of the doctors said after a woman came by and whispered in his ear. "The poison is giving the girl the same side effects. We can't use it as a weapon."

A collected groan echoed through the room. Len clenched his jaw so tight it hurt. Nothing they did as of yet hurt Len but left Rin unharmed. Sooner or later they would have to accept how connected mirror images were. When they finally realize they can't kill their other selves without killing this version of them, they will be so disappointed. Len didn't know and didn't even want to know how else they would react.

"Flush out the poison and take him back to his room," the doctor then said. "We'll try something new tomorrow."

"I'm beginning to think nothing we try will work," one of the female doctors said. "We might have to find other ways to contain and weaken the other side."

The words made Len sick. Or maybe it was the poison. Either way, he turned his head to the side and vomited the stomach acid that burned his throat as it came up. He managed to find some pleasure as the others complained about who needed to clean the mess up.

* * *

Everything burned. Even when the fire began to put out, whatever it scorched still hurt. Rin winced as she moved in a futile attempt to get comfortable.

They had hurt Len again. She didn't have to be told. Whenever they hurt him, they hurt her. There was no harming one and sparing the other. Rin felt every electrical shock, every hunger for air, and every poison Len experienced. Never again would she question how someone in her world died under circumstances so mysterious that not even the best doctors could figure it out.

Head leaning against the glass, Rin stared at the reflection of everything in the room but her. Only when Len was next door in his room did she have a reflection. It was almost a cruel joke how that worked. It was even crueler that this was how their captors told Rin her mirror image was to be taken out for experiments again. She anticipated to know exactly what it was they were doing to him but never calm enough to figure it out.

Opening her eyes after a minute of resting them, Rin felt nothing when she saw them looking back at her. Len was in his room again. After everything they did to him, they were done for the day. It was sickening how they could put him back in his room as if he was leftover curry. Len didn't deserve to be treated this way. Nobody did.

"Len," she whispered his name, knowing he could not hear her. Tears fell down her face as she pressed her palm against the glass. As she closed her eyes again, she imagined that on the other side, Len was pressing his hand against hers.


	12. Chapter 12

Rin didn't know how much time had passed since the day she and Len were ripped out of their new normal. It could have been days. It could have been weeks. She saw no difference.

At least these people, whoever they were, allowed her some items to use to pass the time. There were books and drawing tools and cards. Rin read all the books rather quickly – the longest one just barely surpassed two hundred pages. Every sheet of paper was covered in doodles. Rin had even played solitaire more times than she cared to count, and she was starting to tell which card was which by the marks and bends on their backs.

"You're awake?"

Looking up past her bangs, Rin saw Luka standing across from her. Her second frequent visitor. Meiko must have been caught up if Luka came instead.

"I guess that's what you can call this." Rin focused her attention back to her game. "I prefer to think of it as half-alive."

"Think fast."

At the sound of the words, Rin snapped her head up and caught the ball Luka hurled towards her. Eyes wide and awake now, Rin asked, "What was that about?"

"I had to see if you were aware and fully functional," Luka answered. She held out her hand. "May I have my ball back, please?"

Rin wanted to throw the ball as hard as she could at Luka's head, but instead she gently tossed it. As much as she wanted to, Rin knew hurting Luka wasn't going to cheer her up. With that being the case, Rin didn't see a point in exerting the effort.

"I know it's of no concern of yours," Luka began, repeatedly tossing the ball and catching it again with one hand, "but you and your mirror image have proven key to our research. Although we clearly haven't attempted it yet, we can assume already that killing our mirror images will consequently kill us. We can't poison or electrocute or drown them without we ourselves experiencing the same trauma. Makes declaring war on our other halves quite difficult, don't you think?"

No reply came from Rin. There was nothing to say. She merely stared at Luka, her blue eyes narrowed as they hid behind ratty, blond bangs.

Luka shrugged. "We gassed the boy ten minutes ago." When Rin gasped, Luka smiled. "It's nothing lethal, of course. Just a little something to knock him unconscious. A sleeping gas, if you will. He'll be all right.

"However, what interests us is you're still conscious and alert. I suppose that's better than nothing. We can't shrink the army in your world without shrinking our own, but we can at least put them to sleep as we take over. After all, there's nothing too vicious about locking people away and making sure they are properly fed, is there?"

"It's wrong to take something that isn't yours," Rin said, her jaw clenched. "Any disciplined child can tell you that."

"Perhaps your parents should have also taught you there's nothing wrong with taking back what's yours." Luka shook her head. "Our world should have been the one filled with innovators. While your world continues to improve, ours remains the same. It isn't right. We're the creative ones. We have magic. It is we who should have it better. Not your dry world."

A reply built up in Rin's throat, but she didn't see a point in speaking it. She knew she couldn't convince Luka what the pinkette believed was wrong. After all, once someone decides to believe something, there's no changing their mind.

"We'll grant you a reunion before you die," Luka said, her words coming out of nowhere. Rin didn't let the flicker of hope show in her eyes. "We no longer have need of you, but we'll make sure you won't spend your last few minutes alone."

Throat dry, Rin questioned, "Am I supposed to thank you?"

"Be grateful I wasn't ordered to shoot you between the eyes while I stopped for a visit," Luka replied. "After everything you and your mirror image have given us, this is the most we can do for you."

Rin said nothing to Luka's retreating figure. She spoke no words under her breath as she returned to her game. She made no sound as the tears began to fall from her eyes.

* * *

"Let me go!" Len knew it was futile to yell and try to fight off the men who held his arms. He was small and weak, and the ones holding him back were full grown and most possibly accustomed the lifting weights heavier than he was as a pastime. Yet he tried. As much as Len didn't expect results, he at least wanted to know that he didn't go down without a fight. Perhaps that would mean something.

"Would you please cut that out?"

Len froze and gaped at two men standing before him. One had midnight blue hair, and the other a long, purple ponytail. They gave him the same uneasy feeling Meiko and Luka did, but what really claimed Len's attention was their clothing.

The attire of the men was nothing like what Len had seen before. Their pants were so short they stopped at the knees, and the shirts, which were brightly colored, exposed their arms. Even the shoes, practically nothing but straps, displayed their feet. Len everted his eyes so to not look at the practically naked men.

"What are you two wearing?" Luka said as she rushed down the hall. She passed by Len as if he wasn't there. "I'm glad you're back, but why the hell are you both dressed in your underwear?"

"It was hot, and this is what everyone in the Reflected World was wearing," the purplet replied. Len was suddenly reminded of the exposing clothes Rin wore when she first came to his world. His next thought was that these men have been to Rin's world, a world that clearly was not theirs.

The man with the midnight hair got closer to Len. He peered over the blond. "He really looks like the girl from the Reflected World."

Crossing her arms, Luka said, "All our mirror images look like us. This isn't an exception, Kaito."

"I know, but the similarities get to me every time." The man, Kaito, shook his head.

"How has the Reflected World been reacting to the girl's absence?"

It was the man with the ponytail who answered. "Rinto Kagamine has said nothing to imply that she's missing. Instead he insists that she's been spending all summer locked in her room, refusing to come out."

 _Rinto Kagamine?_ Len bit his lower lip. If he was named after his grandmother Lenka Kagamine, then Rin must have been named after Rinto Kagamine. The man mentioned had to have been Rin's grandfather. _What does he know of this world?_

After a final lookover of Len, Kaito said, "I'm done with him. Proceed with the execution as planned."

"No!" Len shouted. He tried and again failed to break free as the men hauled him forward. If he died, Rin would follow. He couldn't let Rin die, not when he needed to return her safely to her world.

His head snapped to the side before he felt the pain. Meiko stood over him, hand angled by her face. As his cheek stung from her strike, Len glared at her with every ounce of hatred he could muster.

"We're trying to give you a slow, peaceful death," Meiko spat. "Don't force us to just take you out quickly and painfully." Looking away as if Len already bore Meiko, she smiled to someone behind the boy and said, "Welcome back, Kaito."

Tuning them out, Len was dragged away. He was about to put up another fight when a syringe was stabbed into his neck. "The dose will kill you," the doctor said as he used a cloth to wipe away the blood the needle had drawn, "but it will be like falling asleep. It's the gentlest form of execution we have. Don't worry, though. We won't let your final moments be spent in solitude."

Whatever drug he was given acted fast, Len sagged in the men's arms as they took him away. They took him not to his room, but the room next to his. The door was open, and he was tossed inside like a ragdoll before the door slammed shut again.

"Len?!"

The voice was like music to his ears.

Forcing his heavy body to his wobbly feet, Len stumbled to Rin, who just as awkwardly met him halfway. Their bodies collided, and they fell to the floor as they held each other in their arms. Never once during his torture did Len cry. He didn't at any time allow a single tear to fall from his eyes. Now, as he held his other half close to him as their final moment approached, Len held nothing back as he cried every tear his body was capable of producing.

"I thought they would never let me see you again," Rin sobbed into Len's shoulder. "I thought we would never be together again."

"Shhh." Len held her closer. "We're together now. Isn't that all that matters?"

"What are they doing to us? What did they give you?"

So she felt the same changes he felt in his body, too.

"I'm not sure. Some type of drug." Len rested his heavy head on her shoulder. "It should be like falling asleep, or so I've been told."

He felt Rin nod. "Want to sit in the corner?"

"Yes, please."

Hands linked, Rin led Len to her corner. Books and papers and pens and playing cards were tossed aside. Rin sat next to the mirror that did not show their reflection, Len close by her side, and leaned into him. Len also leaned into her.

They held onto each other's fingers, squeezing tightly as if they wouldn't allow anyone to rip them apart. For a while, neither said anything. It was with a start Len realized that Rin was accepting her fate, and he along with her.

"This shouldn't be happening," he said, his words just above a whisper. His head remained heavy, his connection to his limbs slowly slipping away. Still he clung to Rin like a lifeline. "You should be back in your world, safe from all of this. None of this should be happening to you."

Rin's own words were soft and slow, as if she was also tired. "You shouldn't be going through this either. Really, you deserve this less than I do. I was a brat before. Before I came here, no one could say I didn't deserve some form of punishment."

"Not anything like _this_."

"Of course not." Rin held her mouth open like she wanted to say more. After a moment, she closed her mouth. Either she didn't deem the words worth saying, or she forgot them all together. Then, "This is my fault."

"Rin," Len said slowly, "how can this be your fault? You did everything you could to fit in."

"Not everything." Before Len could ask for an explanation, Rin added, "Grandma Lenka asked if I brought anything from the Reflected World with me, and I answered no. Remember that? Well, I lied. I had my nano player with me – a device that allows me to listen to music no matter where I am. The night before we were caught, those women saw me with it. I was stupid and went outside to listen to music, and that's why we're here now. This is all my fault. I'm sorry, Len."

If Len was angry or upset with her, he didn't show it. He probably didn't have the energy. But then he surprised her by saying, "I'm sorry."

Rin furrowed her brows. "For what? You did a better job of keeping our secret than I did."

"For bringing you here in the first place." Len used the last of his strength to squeeze Rin's fingers. He was so disconnected with himself that even though he saw his fingers move, he didn't feel a thing. "If I never acted without thinking it through and never opened that stupid portal, you never would have come here. You wouldn't be here, breaths away from dying. You would be safe in your world, with nothing to worry about."

"Don't be stupid," Rin breathed. "If I never came here, I never would have met you."

"You wouldn't be dying, either."

With strength Len didn't know she had, Rin shook her head. "I can't pretend my life is more valuable than this. You're my best friend, Len. You're literally my other half. Meeting you has been the best thing that has ever happened to me, and if I could go back and change things, I would still come here. Of course I would make sure we didn't get caught, but I would be okay doing everything else again. Wouldn't even need to think about it." Rin exhaled slowly. "Maybe when we fall asleep, we'll get to stay together in our dreams."

"That's a beautiful way to say something morbid," Len pointed out, "but I hope we can be in each other's dreams, too. Now that I've found you, I can't bear to lose you."

Rin snuggled into Len. "Then let's make sure we go together."

Not that he thought they had a choice, but Len was okay with it. He rested his cheek on the top of her head. "All right."

"I love you, Len."

"I love you, Rin."

It was then Len realized that not only did he and Rin accept their fate, they embraced it. They would die, but it was okay because they would die together. If this fate was unavoidable from the start, at least neither would have to be alone. Although what Len really wished for was more time just for the two of them, this was okay. Rin would be by his side the whole time.

When the world finally went dark, Len thought he had finally fallen asleep. Then he heard Rin's soft, sweet voice in his ear. "Did you hear that?"

He could barely respond. "Hmm?"

"I thought I heard a scream."

Before Len could process the words, their door was swung open and two figures entered. Their silhouettes were what told Len that he wasn't asleep but the power in the room had gone out. The figures got closer before they began to peel Rin away from him.

Len tried and failed to shake off whoever was pulling him away from his mirror image. As fighting in his weak state was useless, Len growled, but it didn't sound as threatening as he hoped. Again he tried tearing himself away, but to no avail.

"Be dead," the person whispered in his ear. "We need you to be dead."

It was as Len processed the words that Rin, in her captor's arms, dropped as if her body suddenly had no bones. The one who had her must whispered the same command. Len didn't know why Rin was playing along, but he decided to follow her lead anyway.

While Len pretended to be lifeless, he and Rin were dragged out of the room and loaded onto stretchers. The lights were still out. As they were wheeled down the hall, only one person asked what was going on with the Kagamines. Len's person answered that they were moving them for an autopsy. That was Len understood, or at least had an idea, what was going on.

Mikuo, who had spoken, was the one who pulled Len away and pushed him on the stretcher. The person who took care of Rin must have been Nero. Keeping still as possible, Len prayed to whatever gods who would listen that his neighbors had some idea what they were doing.

They stopped long enough for someone to open a door, the four of them to walk through it, and someone else to close the same door. A clicking sound followed. They were locked in together.

"Okay," Mikuo said, "you two can stop pretending now."

"Help Len," Rin began saying immediately. "Help Len, or else we won't be pretending."

As he helped Rin sit up, Nero asked, "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Help Len!" Rin answered, her words surprisingly strong even though she lacked the strength to hold herself upright.

Nero jumped into action, moving to Len's side as Mikuo asked, "What do you need?"

"Cleansing of my bloodstream," Len answered, forcing himself to sound clear enough to be understood. "Drugs, but I don't know what kind. Will that make a difference?"

"A little, but nothing Nero and I can't handle," Mikuo said. Acting quickly, Mikuo and Nero pulled out knives they must have been hiding in their sleeves and cut Len's wrists. When Len's blood started to flow out, Mikuo and Nero both wrapped their fingers around a wrist and began to chant. At first Len understood the words, but as time passed, they began to get muddled. Then he didn't remember what his friends had said and forgot the words just as they said them. The world grew dark, the muffled words too loud.

Then, all at once, nothing.

* * *

Even as Len stopped moving altogether, Rin knew they were going to be okay. Her head cleared as strength returned to her limbs. When she pushed herself upright again, she was able to stay up. The room was dark, but she could tell apart Mikuo and Nero by their silhouettes.

"How did you two manage to do that?" she asked when Mikuo and Nero, both sweaty and panting, stopped their chant. "I didn't think you were so powerful."

"We're not." Mikuo wiped sweat off his forehead. "Ms. Lenka had a spell book that had an enchantment to increase our magical abilities tenfold, but it has a limit. More powerful magic uses the excess up quicker than simpler magic. For example, healing Len and you must have used up most of our boost."

"Of course, it was worth it." Nero helped Rin off her stretcher. "How are you feeling?"

"More alert. More alive." Rin took a deep breath. "I was dying."

"Yes." Even though Nero didn't hesitate to confirm Rin, she could tell he didn't want to say it.

"You're not now, and I think that's what matters." Mikuo began slapping Len's face. He didn't hit hard, but it was evident he really needed Len to wake up. "If we can get this one conscious again, we'll be set until we run into our next problem."

"How did you know where to find us?" Rin asked. "How did you get in?"

Nero smiled. "Let's just say your – well, Len's grandma knew just the people to contact. We, along with others from town, volunteered to lend a helping hand. I didn't know this, but Ms. Lenka is the community hero. Most people didn't hesitate to help her save her grandkids."

"Of course, we had to beg to be allowed to help," Mikuo supplied. "The adults argued, but Ms. Lenka told them that you two would be quicker to trust us than anyone else who said they were a friend of your grandmother's." He huffed as he stepped away from Len. "That mirror image of yours sure can sleep."

 _Mirror image._ "So, uh, you know?"

"Yeah, Rin, I know." Mikuo smiled before saying, "I can't believe you told this bozo everything but not me. I'm deeply wounded. By you for not telling me, and by my own cousin for keeping secrets."

"Well you don't go about sharing someone else's secrets now, do you?" Nero tore his attention from Mikuo, instead standing next to Len and shaking his shoulder. "Rin," Nero then said, "do your thing."

Knowing exactly what to do, Rin hovered her lips just a hair's width away from Len's ear before shaking his shoulders and shouting, "WAKE UP ALREADY!"

* * *

When the power finally came back on after Rin, Mikuo, and Nero caught Len up on everything, the sounds coming from the other end of the door signaled that people were aware the Kagamine children were missing.

"The power was supposed to be out for another twenty minutes," Nero, who along with Mikuo was wearing similar clothing to the people within the facility, said.

"Guess we now have to improvise," Mikuo replied.

"Any grand ideas?" Rin asked.

Looking up, Mikuo answered, "One."

It was just as Len, the last of the four to crawl into the vent, hid away with his friends and closed the crate that the enemy came into the room. There were two of them. Len held his breath, and the others didn't move. After a solid minute, or what felt more like a lifetime, passed, the room was empty again. The four teens didn't wait for anyone to return before they started crawling through the cramped vents.

"I thought you were being a gentleman when you said, 'Ladies first,'" Rin told Mikuo as she dragged her body on the bottom, her head barely upright without hitting the top. "I didn't know you were actually setting me up to lead the way."

"Just shut up and keep crawling," Mikuo replied. Rin grumbled but complied anyway.

"I think I found an exit!" Rin whispered a minute later, excited.

"Then open it already," Len advised.

"Hold on. I got to figure out how to get these screws undone." When twisting the screws with her bare fingers proved futile, Rin pulled one of her barrettes out of her bangs, popped out the silver clip, and used it as a makeshift screwdriver. To her relief and mild surprise, it worked.

Once all four screws were undone, Rin pushed on the vent door. The screws on the other side, previously held together by the ones Rin had taken out, clattered as they fell to the floor. Rin froze, afraid someone would come to investigate the noise; but when no one came, Rin slowly crawled out of the vent and dropped to the floor, landing softly on the balls of her feet.

The boys followed suit, and they stared at the only exit in the room. What was on the other side, nobody could guess.

"It's quiet," Nero pointed out. "I think we can slip on through without getting caught."

When nobody else acted on his words, Nero wrapped his fingers around the doorknob, turned it, and pushed the door open. Whimpering came from the other side. The lights flickered on.

"No way," Nero breathed.

Rin pushed Nero out of the way, and Len followed suit. His breath caught in his throat. Sitting against the wall with their hands tied were Meiko, Luka, Kaito, and Gakupo. Yet at the same time, these were different people.

These were their mirror images.


	13. Chapter 13

The purple-haired girl, Gakupo's counterpart, curled into a ball, making herself smaller. The other three merely looked at the four teens, confusion and caution written on their faces. Their arms and legs were bound with rope.

Len was the first to speak. "Who are you?"

When none of the counterparts responded, Rin stepped forward and said, "We're not going to hurt you, but we need to know why you're here." Len didn't know if it was the way the four looked or the way they dressed or the way they held themselves, but Rin softly added, as if it would help, "I'm from the Reflected World, too."

The brunet sneered. "Prove it."

Rin didn't seem phased. "What do you want me to say? Ask me anything."

It was the pinket who asked the question. "What year were hover taxis invented?"

"That's easy," Rin answered, grinning. "Hover taxis were invented in 1987, and the slogan was, 'Over two hundred miles an hour, and you can hardly feel a thing.'"

"Okay," the brunet said after thinking it over, "we believe you."

"That's all you needed to know?" Nero furrowed his brows.

"The slogan hasn't been used since 1989," the bluette said. "Only someone who lived in the Reflected World that time would know it without looking it up, and I don't imagine anyone from _your_ world would research hover taxi slogans of all things."

This seemed to be enough for Nero. "Point taken, but what's a hover taxi?"

"Who are you?" Rin asked as she stepped forward. After she began untying the brunet, Len, Nero, and Mikuo began to untie the rest. "What are you doing in the Mirror World?"

"We were kidnapped," the purplette answered as Nero unbound her wrists. "By our mirror images." As if an afterthought, she added, "My name's Gakuko."

The others introduced themselves as they were freed from their restraints. Each one mumbled a thanks as he rubbed his wrist. Despite their counterparts being the last person Rin or her friends wanted to see, the ones before her appeared to have no interest in world domination.

"Why have they been keeping you here?" Len stood beside Rin, his lack of trust present but not overbearing.

"With our counterparts"– Kaiko, Kaito's counterpart, indicated Gakuko and herself –"in the Reflected World, those here didn't want people there connecting them with us. So, they took Gakuko and me along with Meito and Luki. They wanted to dispose us but weren't sure if taking our lives would also take the lives of their version of us."

"That's why they needed Len and me so badly." Rin looked at her mirror image. "To them, our loss wouldn't have hurt their cause at all. It only would have helped it."

"Which is why we need to stop them," Nero said. To the Reflected World residents, "Any ideas how to end these people for good?"

Luki shrugged. "Destroy the mirrors, I guess. Without the mirror portals, there's nothing they can do to our world. We would be safe."

"Then there's no time to waste." Rin threw her shoulders back and held her chin high. "Tell us everything you know about the mirrors."

* * *

After those from the Reflected World told Rin and her friends everything they knew, the eight of them worked together to formulate a plan. Kaiko, Gakuko, and Rin crawled through the vents, found a supply room, and returned with weapons. Meanwhile the boys worked together based on their collective memory of the layout of the building to figure out where to go and plan escape routes. When the girls returned with the weapons and were given a rundown of the plan, all eight left the room and rushed towards the mirrors.

They didn't make it ten feet before they were attacked by those posted as guards in the building.

"NERO!" Rin shrieked when the blond was struck by the bullet of a similar weapon.

She ran towards Nero, ignoring everyone's pleas that she stick to the plan. The guard charged towards Rin, and she shot him before her mind could process what she was doing. Not stopping to watch the body fall, Rin dropped to her knees and looked over Nero.

"I'm okay," he insisted as Rin searched for the wound. "I'm okay, but I feel numb."

When Rin found where he was shot, she didn't see a wound at all. What she did see was a small, bullet-like device sticking out of Nero's side. She recognized it instantly. "Stun bullet." She turned her head towards the others. "They loaded their weapons with stun bullets!"

"What are stun bullets?" Mikuo asked while Meito said, "So they're not stocked to kill. Makes things easier since we won't be doing anything worse than shocking the heck out of someone."

At Meito's words, Rin looked at the man she shot. He was groaning in pain but very much alive. Her conscience was immediately eased.

Answering Mikuo, Kaiko said, "Stun bullets only mildly electrocute whoever is hit with one. With the exception of those with certain conditions, stun bullets will hurt but overall are completely harmless."

"Either way, we gotta get going." Len helped Rin get Nero to his feet. "Sounds like we have company."

The thundering footsteps that grew louder by the second proved as much. Wasting no time, the eight proceeded to their destination. They shot at guards and were shot themselves. Both Rin and Len were shot at, but after having endured electrocution, the pain was nothing to them. Yet no matter how fast they ran and how quickly everyone shook off the stun bullets, the trip to the mirrors was taking longer than planned.

"What are you doing?" Rin asked when Nero and Mikuo stopped charging. The others stopped as well. "We need to stick together."

"What we need is for you to destroy those portals," Nero answered.

"The rest of you continue ahead." Mikuo cocked his stun gun. "We'll keep our friends busy."

"But-" Rin tried to argue, but Len grabbed her above the elbow and began dragging her away. She tried to break free, but he wouldn't loosen his grip.

"They'll be fine," Len insisted as Nero and Mikuo ran in the opposite direction. "Now come on!"

Reluctantly, Rin followed. Now that Nero and Mikuo were holding back the guards, the group came across fewer interruptions. Not that it meant everything was going to go smoothly from there.

"I think this is it!" Luki exclaimed as he burst through one of the doors.

The others filed in, and Rin gasped at the line of mirrors against the wall. Each one resembled Grandpa Rinto's, and consequently Grandma Lenka's, mirror. It was as if someone had gathered every known mirror portal in the world and collected them for this purpose. As far as Rin was aware, that is exactly what happened.

"How do we activate them?" Rin asked, looking at the four adults.

"We're not sure," Luki answered. "Our world doesn't have anything like this, you know."

The realization made Rin stop. Luki included her when he said that one, little word. _Our world. My world._ They were like her in ways Len, Nero, and Mikuo could never be. In a way, Meito, Luki, Kaiko, and Gakuko were her people, yet Rin spent until now thinking of them from another world. She didn't truly process that this other world was hers, too. _When did I start thinking of this world as my own?_

Len, oblivious to Rin's internal crisis, approached the mirrors. "The magic required to open these portals has to be much more than any magician is capable of producing, especially if travel between worlds is as casual as Kaito and Gakupo make it out to be."

"Then there has to be an external source of magic," Mikuo suggested. "Ms. Lenka's spell book also had methods of storing magic to draw upon later. If I had to guess, these people have found a way to store their magic in order to open these portals at will."

"If that's the case," Nero added, "then I don't think the stored magic would be far."

"You're not wrong to assume that."

Before anyone could react, Kaito reached out, took a hold of Rin, and held her close as he pressed a knife to her throat. "One wrong move, and she dies," he threatened. When everyone stared at Kaito and Gakupo but made no act to attack, Kaito ordered, "Put your weapons down and get as far away from them as possible."

Slowly, the remaining five dropped their stun guns and kicked them away. Len glared at Kaito but acted cautious. He was not going to do anything to endanger Rin any more than she was already, Rin noticed. Using her eyes, she pleaded with Len to not worry and that everything would be okay.

The message probably would have sent better had she believed it herself.

"Now," Kaito said, "here's what we're going to do: You four"– he indicated his mirror image and her Reflected World companions –"are going right back to your room. We have no plans to kill you. We don't want to kill you. Let's all go back quietly, and I promise we will take good care of you. Any resistance, and this girl and her mirror image die. Are we understood?"

When no one answered, Kaito pressed the knife into Rin's throat, causing her to wince. The others gasped. "I said, 'Are we understood?'" Kaito asked.

Before anybody opened his mouth to reply, Rin heard something crack beside her just before Kaito loosened his grip on her and crumpled to the floor. Her first instinct was to put her hand to her throat, which bled from the cut but didn't sting too much, and to turn around. Gakupo didn't move from where he was standing, but his raised stun gun, which he must have picked up after Rin dropped it, indicated he used its butt to knock out Kaito.

"He's going to be really mad when he wakes up," Gakupo muttered before dropping the weapon. He turned to Rin. "Are you all right, Rin?"

"I . . . I'll live." Rin took a step back, and Len walked to stand beside her, wrapping an arm around her waist. Rin leaned into his touch. "Why?" she asked, her eyes still on Gakupo.

"I couldn't take it anymore," Gakupo answered, sighing. "This isn't what the organization should be about. We should have wanted to connect our worlds, not destroy one as if the other is more superior. I thought someone would see what I saw, but I was wrong."

Len held onto Rin tighter. "What are you saying?"

"People are too prideful to admit they're missing something," Gakupo said, "and when they do, they try to take whatever it is they think will fill that void. Your mirror image's world's technology will not heal this world, nor will our magic heal theirs. I see that now."

"But we can't just leave it at that," Gakuko said, stepping forward. "Our worlds need to stay separate. It's the way it's supposed to be. If we leave portals around like this . . ." Gakuko looked around the room before finishing, "If we don't stop travel between worlds for good, what happened today is going to happen again."

"Then we must finish what we came here to do," Luki said. To Gakupo, "Those of us from the Reflected World need to be sent back home, and the mirrors should be destroyed so that nobody can ever go through them again."


	14. Chapter 14

The switch resided in another room. When Gakupo turned it on, the collected magic from the containment ignited and spread to the mirrors, powering each one. As the portals opened, Rin felt wind gush out and breeze through her hair. She could almost swear she smelt the Reflected World on the other side of the glass.

"I can leave the power on to run out the magic," Gakupo said as he reentered the room, "but it would be better to fuel these mirrors with a surplus of it."

Meito raised an eyebrow. "That will destroy the mirrors?"

"It'll bring this whole place down if the power stored is that great."

When Meito and the others continued to eye Gakupo suspiciously, Rin put a hand on Luki's arm and said, "I'll make sure he does as he says. The Reflected World is my world, too, and I won't let anyone take it away from us."

Eyes filled with worry, Kaiko leaned in and asked, "How will you get back if you stay behind to make sure the portals are destroyed?"

"I'll find a way," Rin answered, deciding to not mention Grandma Lenka's mirror. "Find me on the NatAct as soon as you can. My username is OrangeBunny80."

"It's gotten quiet," Len observed after a moment. "Think that means we've overpowered them?"

"You mean Mikuo and Nero, or the people who came to help?" Rin tried not to let the worry in her voice be too evident.

"Regardless, we need to act fast," Gakupo replied.

After bidding the Mirror World denizens a farewell and promising to hook up with Rin on the other side, Kaito, Gakuko, Meito, and Luki stepped through the mirrors. All four of them walked through the glass as if it was liquid, and Rin wanted to reach out and touch it. Something that could be walked through shouldn't look so solid.

"I'm going to the other room now to power these portals full force," Gakupo, with a reflection again, said after his counterpart and her friends were gone. "Start leaving now. Once I set the lever, the place should have little more than a minute before it blows."

"What about you?" Rin asked.

Grinning, Gakupo answered, "I'll be right behind. No sense in that poor girl dying as soon as she gets back to her world just because her mirror image had to be stupid."

Without waiting to be told a second time, Len grabbed Rin's hand and ran as he lead her down the hall. They met up with Mikuo and Nero, who guarded the way despite the lack of anyone coming after them. When asked what was going on, Len simply answered that they would talk after they fled the building.

"Then let us lead," Mikuo said as he sprinted alongside the Kagamine teens. "You're going the wrong way. We need to go this way for the exit."

Following Mikuo and Nero, Rin and Len escaped with their friends to see the building surrounded by lots of people Rin recognized. Some she knew from inside the facility, but others she remembered passing during times she was in town. Those from the building – including Meiko and Luka – were tied up and sitting on the ground. In the midst of the crowd stood a figure both Rin and Len were ecstatic to see.

"Grandma Lenka!" they exclaimed as the ran towards the elderly woman, who knelt down and wrapped the two in a tight hug.

"I was so worried about you," she told them, her cheeks wet with tears. "After you two disappeared, it was practically a scavenger hunt to find you again. Thank the gods you're safe and here with me now."

As Rin clung to Grandma Lenka and Len, she couldn't stop the overflow of tears as her emotions spilled out. No place felt safer than Grandma Lenka's arms, and no one was as connected to Rin as Len was. Yet she had to leave them if she was to save them.

Breaking the hug no matter how much she didn't want to, Rin asked, "When is the summer solstice?"

Frowning, Grandma Lenka answered, "It's today, dear. Just in time too, I suppose."

Rin swallowed the lump in her throat. She wouldn't get the chance to say proper goodbyes.

A loud explosion shook the ground, and everyone turned to see Gakupo leaving the collapsing building, an unconscious Kaito dragged right behind. The police approached him and arrested the man on the spot. Rin hoped Gakupo would get a lighter sentence for what he did in the end.

Now it was her turn to save everyone in both the Mirror World and the Reflected World.

* * *

As the carriage took them back to Grandma Lenka's home, no one said anything. Rin stared out the window, committing the landscape passed to memory. Even though she looked at nobody, she clutched Len's hand like a lifeline, dreading the moment she would have to let go for good.

Len sat as close to her as possible. Mikuo and Nero were across from the two, also silent. Grandma Lenka sat next to Len, her eyes trained on the book on her lap. If anyone was to break the silence, it would have been her. Yet even Grandma Lenka, the one who always had something wise to say, was silent.

When they pulled up to the house, the suppressed emotions finally burst forward. Rin turned around and held onto Len, desperate for his touch. He clung to her just as strongly. The others spoke not a word as they slid out of the carriage, leaving the two alone.

"We have to go," Rin whispered after a minute. "I . . . I can't stay here much longer. I want to say goodbye to everyone. I'll never see them again, so I don't want to leave without a final farewell."

Nodding, Len led her out of the carriage and helped her down.

"Len! Rin!"

Chest aching, Rin dropped to her knees and accepted Olivia with open arms, Len following suit. The girl cried too hard for her words to be decipherable. Rin, holding Olivia close, rubbed circles on her back and shushed her.

"Olivia, I need you to listen to me," Rin finally got the courage to say. Len's grip on Rin got harder. As Olivia pulled away only the slightest, Rin fought to maintain eye contact with the girl. "Olivia," Rin took a deep breath, "I need to go."

"Go where?" Olivia sniffled.

Rin felt her heart break. "Back to my world."

Understanding flashed behind Olivia's eyes. "No." She shook her head. "Rin, do you have to leave? Can't you stay here? I finally have a sister. I don't want to lose you."

"Olivia, listen to me." Rin brushed loose hair behind Olivia's ear. "Your mirror image doesn't want to lose his sister, either. If I stay here, you'll have Len and me, but he will have nobody. Is that what you want? Do you want Oliver to grow up without his sister?" Olivia shook her head. "Then I have to go, Olivia. I'm sorry, but you'll have Len. He's not going anywhere. You'll never be alone, understand?"

"I think so," Olivia said, eyes puffy and cheeks splotched.

"I won't forget you," Rin promised, wiping tears from Olivia's eyes. "I'm never, ever going to forget you."

"I'm never going to forget you either, Rin."

"Come here." Rin held Olivia and let the girl cry into her shoulder. It was only a minute before Olivia calmed down enough for Rin to let her go. "Goodbye, Olivia."

"Goodbye, Rin." Once she was able to separate herself from Rin, Olivia dashed to Grandma Lenka and hid her face in her grandmother's skirts. Rin didn't know it was possible for her heart to break even more until that moment.

Standing to her feet, she approached Mikuo and Nero and wore a mischievous grin on her face. "Wreak havoc for me, okay, boys?"

"Anything for you, Rin." Mikuo, seemingly unable to contain himself anymore, gripped Rin in a hug. "It's not going to be the same without you. Rin, you don't know how much more interesting you made life here."

"Only because you were here to make it interesting first." Rin returned the hug. "I'm going to miss you, Mikuo."

"Miss you, too."

After letting go of Mikuo, Rin held nothing back as she pounced on his cousin. "I'm going to miss you the most," she whispered in Nero's ear, so quiet that she hoped nobody else heard.

Nero held her close. "I never had a friend like you before, and I never will again. Rin, I don't think you understand the kind of hole you're leaving in my heart."

Clinging to Nero, Rin said, "Too bad our adventures had to end so soon, but the memories we did make will always be close to my heart, just as you are." She held on just a little bit tighter. "Goodbye, Nero."

"Goodbye, Rin." When they pulled away from each other, Nero planted a kiss on Rin's forehead. The sign of affection was warm, and it made Rin's head tingle. She hated that it was the first and last time Nero would ever get to be so close to her.

"Rin." Said girl looked to Grandma Lenka. The elderly woman smiled. "Tell that lousy grandfather of yours I said 'Hello.'" She held out something to Rin. "For you."

When Rin accepted it, she felt her heart in her throat as she observed what it was. What Grandma Lenka was giving her was the picture she took just before Rin, Len, and the others went to see the flower show. Rin dragged her fingers across the picture. It was a piece she could take with her, to always remember the world she was never meant to see but got to live in with its people.

Before she could say anything, Rin noticed that another picture was stuck behind the one of her and her friends. Peeling the other picture away, Rin's breath caught in her throat. She had seen it before, but not in this world. It was the two identical teens sitting next to each other and looking into the camera as if they knew the secrets of the universe.

"Now, stop gaping." Grandma Lenka pushed Rin towards the door. "The more you dally, the more you increase your chance of missing the solstice. You wouldn't want to be stuck here for a whole other year now, would you?"

"No, ma'am, I wouldn't." Rin hugged Grandma Lenka. "Thank you."

Grandma Lenka returned the affection. "You hold the secrets of these worlds now. Don't let your knowledge go to waste. Use it to make your world a better place, okay?"

When the last of the goodbyes had been said, Rin looked at Grandma Lenka, Olivia, Nero, and Mikuo one last time, committing them to memory. They were her family and friends, and she would never forget them. She wouldn't be who she became had she not received the chance to get to know them.

As she entered the home, Len joined hands and walked side-by-side with her. He had said nothing during her final goodbyes. Rin wondered if he was trying to respect her final words to the people she would never see again or if he wanted to keep their farewell private. Maybe it was a little of both.

"Before I forget," Len said, letting go of Rin's hand and running into the library. When he came back, _Blood Rose_ , the red book Rin and he labeled as their favorite, was in his hands. "Here." He held it out to her. "I want you to have it."

Rin shook her head. "Thank you, Len, but I don't think Grandma Lenka would appreciate you handing out her books like that."

"It's not her book," Len replied. "It's mine. Well, now it's yours, but only if you take it. That way you will always have a piece of this world, a piece of me, with you."

Tears filling her eyes, something that happened a lot since destroying the portals back at the headquarters, Rin reached out and cradled _Blood Rose_ close to her chest. "I will cherish it always," she said, words soft.

Again hand in hand, they walked up steps to the second floor, pulled down the ladder to the attic, and ascended the stairs.

When they got to the mirror, neither said a word. Swallowing the lump in his throat, Len knelt beside the mirror and began chanting. Nothing happened at first, but then the glass began to change. It appeared less solid and more liquid, like those other mirrors were when their portal was open. Rin sucked in a sharp breath. Len did it. She could go home to her world.

Rin should have been happy, but she was devastated.

"You have to destroy the mirror," she told Len as he stood upright. "Once I walk through, you have to break the mirror beyond repair. It's the only way to make sure our worlds never come close to war again."

"Rin," Len looked at her, his eyes pained, "you're asking me to destroy the very thing that determines if I'll ever see you again. How can I break the glass when it's what brought you to me?"

With her free hand, Rin took Len's. It amazed her how their fingers fit together so well. It was almost as if they were puzzle pieces, and once they were separated, the puzzle would never, ever be whole again. "If you don't destroy it, I'll destroy Grandpa Rinto's," she said. "I don't want to either, but we need to be selfless and put our worlds before ourselves." Dropping everything, Rin wrapped her arms around Len one last time. "I'll miss you every day for the rest of my life. I love you, Len. You're my better half."

"And you're my mischievous half." Len returned the hug. "I don't know how I'm supposed to live now that I've met my other half and have to spend the rest of my life away from her."

"We're the same person," Rin reminded him. "We're never too far apart."

As the hug broke for the last time, Rin wiped away her tears as Len collected her dropped items. He handed them back to her, and she nodded in thanks. "Goodbye, Rin," he said, voice cracking.

Rin's own voice nearly failed her. "Goodbye, Len."

Holding her breath, Rin stepped into the mirror. There was rippling, and then the glass was solid again. As the portal closed, the reflection in the mirror changed. For the first time since Rin arrived, Len had a reflection again.

He had to act before he could think himself out of it. Finding a mallet in the corner of the attic, Len picked it up and charged towards the mirror. Acting on impulse, Len raised the mallet with strength he didn't know he had and swung it towards the mirror. Glass cracked.

Again and again, shouting with each swing, Len slammed the mallet into the mirror. The glass cracked more and more, slowly but surely becoming many different pieces. With a final cry out, Len used all his power to hit the mirror.

Shattered glass scattered across the wooden floors. What was once a beautiful mirror was now a frame with nothing but wood in its middle. Nothing would ever come through it again.

Distraught, Len sunk to the floor and finally allowed his tears to fall. He hugged his knees to his chest and rocked back and forth. When he was ready, he would dry his face, go downstairs, talk to his friends, promise that everything was fine, and return with a broom. No one was going to clean the glass but him. He wanted to do it. He _needed_ to do it.

Until then, he would sit with shards of glass surrounding him as he mourned the excruciating pain that came from losing your other half.


	15. Chapter 15

Rin didn't know if it was from the travel between worlds or from her emotions finally consuming her, but she crumpled to the ground the moment she returned to the familiar attic she hadn't seen in months. The book and pictures falling to the ground with a solid thump, Rin sank to the floor and held her face in her hands. With Len and the others no longer able to see her, she began to weep with everything she tried so hard to hide away.

Something from behind pulled Rin from her tears. She spun around to see cracks in the mirror. More appeared in the glass by the second, and Rin knew what was happening. Len was destroying Grandma Lenka's mirror.

As she held her breath, Rin crawled away from the mirror in time to see the shattered glass fall from the frame and scatter all over the wooden floors. Her heart pounded in her chest, and she heard the blood rush in her ears. Breathing started again slowly but quickly shifted into heaving.

It was gone. The portal was destroyed. Rin would never, ever see Len again.

Tears blurred her vision. Rin again submerged into despair. The people she loved were never going to be with her again, and that was what hurt most.

She didn't hear him come in, but when Grandpa Rinto knelt beside Rin and pulled her into a hug, Rin threw her arms around her grandfather and cried even harder. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry." She apologized again and again, not listening to Grandpa Rinto as he softly shushed her.

When she calmed down enough to think, Rin asked, "You were there, weren't you? To the Mirror World? You met Lenka?"

Grandpa Rinto was quiet for so long that Rin almost repeated herself when he finally answered, "Yes. I met Lenka when we were both about your age. I've been to her world, and she's been to mine."

Hiccupping, Rin asked, "When was the last time you saw her?"

"Almost fifty years ago," Grandpa Rinto answered, his words sounding sad. "I miss her every day."

Rin broke the hug and wiped her eyes, but she still shook with sobs as she tried to hold nothing back. "Does it get any easier? I mean, am I going to spend the rest of my life feeling this empty without Len?"

As he wore a small smile, Grandpa Rinto said, "It's a lot like losing yer limb, meeting you other half and then going on the rest of yer life without them. A piece of you is missing, and at first ya believe the piece is so vital you can't live on without it. But ya do. Ya learn to live life without, even if ya miss it sometimes. The pain won't ever truly go away, but time will make it hurt less. Understand, Rin?"

"I think so." Rin wiped her eyes again before drawing Len's and Grandma Lenka's gifts close. At the sight of the little girl in the picture of Rin and her friends who called Rin her sister, she asked, "What did you tell Oliver?"

Chuckling, Grandpa Rinto answered, "The truth. I'll let ya take a few days to process everything, but he's going to expect the whole story from ya as soon as possible. Can't say I blame him; I want to know, too."

It took a lot of effort, but Rin brought herself to smile. One day this world would feel like her home again. Until then, she would do her best to make all the sacrifices worth it.

"Oh," Rin said before laughing. Grandpa Rinto raised an eyebrow, so she told him, "I felt bad for leaving without giving Len anything to remember me by, but I just realized I forgot my nano player in the Mirror World. He's smart so I know he'll figure out how to use it. I just hope Len learns to love a little something called pop music."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** **This is it. This is the end. It's always bittersweet to finish a story. On one hand, you're happy because now you're free to work on other stories (writing or otherwise) without guilt. On the other, you realize that you're never going to work on the story again after spending so much time with it that not going back to it feels like a loss.**

 **A big shout out to KenjiSpiritSlasher for being this fanfic's most loyal reviewer! You're awesome, dude! I really hope you find the ending satisfactory (even if somewhat depressing). :)**

 **Now a quick thanks to everyone else who followed, favorited, and reviewed. Thanks! And a thank you to those of you without accounts who still check back here every now and again to see if I updated. I know you're there. I used to be one of you, too. :P**

 **Now excuse me while I go through some shameless self-promotion (this is the cue to leave if you only wanted to read the thanks).**

 ** _Blood_ _Rose_ , Rin and Len's favorite book in _Shattered Glass_ , is an upcoming fanfic I'm working on! It's too soon in the writing stages to give a release date, unfortunately, but right now I'm aiming for a fall release. The pitch is Miku, one of the elites, forms an unlikely friendship with Rin, a slave, in a society that is both run by women and oppresses women. If that sounds interesting to you, keep an eye out for it!**

 _ **King of**_ **_Hearts_ is also a real story. It's written by my beautiful friend Kate, but unfortunately it's no longer online. However, she has some good stories on her account K. A. Farron so I highly recommend you guys check her out! May I suggest _The Monster Club_? Don't let it being labeled as a MikuXLen scare you away. It's a funny, sweet, and hot mess of a story about monsters in high school. It's a collab between her and yours truly, so I highly encourage you give it a look.**

 **Lastly, for any Undertale fans in the house, I suggest you check out my Undertale fanfic _The Locket_. It's an alternate universe retelling with lots of twists you won't see coming. If you haven't heard of Undertale or don't know much about it, totally watch a playthrough on YouTube or something because it's a good game with arguably the best music ever. My favorite game I never actually played. lol**

 **Welp, that's all I wanted to say. Thanks again for sticking with me through this journey. I really hope you check out one of the stories I suggested (even if one won't be up for a long while) and find a new story to love. Take care, and stay awesome!**

 **\- Fantastical**


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